The Time Turner Interlude
by KcTakai
Summary: **Co-Authored** When Ilvermorny students Sarah and Jenelle are tumbled back to 1976, their ensuing adventure with the Mauraders brings them much more than they could have imagined. What untold secrets will they learn about Hogwarts' most infamous pranksters? Will they ever make it back to their own time? Read on to find out! (**Do you prefer longer or shorter chapters?**)
1. Chapter 1 - Tumbling Through Time

CHAPTER 1 - Tumbling Through Time

(1976 Autumn, Hogwarts. Not even a week into the first term.)

* * *

" _What do you mean we can't go back?!"_

If one were to look for a picture definition of irate, Sarah's face would have provided a perfect example for the word. Jenelle, on the other hand, was edging more towards representing shell-shocked.

The two of them had come from Ilvermorny as part of a summer exchange program between their school and the illustrious Hogwarts. They'd had the time of their lives taking in the gorgeous landscape so different than what they usually saw in New England. There was similar yet vastly different architecture between the two castles, not to mention sexy hot accents, and those were just a few of their favorite highlights.

Even studying was surprisingly fun as well, and from eight in the morning to three in the afternoon they spent their time attending classes, some of which were not offered at Ilvermorny.

There were some definite culture clashes though and not all of them benign. Which all boiled down to this: Sarah and Jenelle had been temporarily Sorted into Gryffindor and Slytherin respectively, and yet still continued to spend the majority of their free time together rather than with their house peers.

Their seemingly incomprehensible friendship had caused raised eyebrows from the older students, and incredulity or derision from those fifth years and below. In the eyes of Hogwarts a Snake and a Lion willingly spending time together, foreign or not, was baffling.

Sure, such things had become more common ever since Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy had shown that it was possible to be in opposite houses and yet still be friends, but hundreds of years of suspicion and bias against the houses did not just disappear overnight.

For most students and the parents they wrote back to it was still borderline unnatural; many agreed that perhaps the kind thing to do would be to inform their hapless cohorts from overseas just what their houses said about their underlying personalities.

Namely, that a Slytherin is just as likely to shake your hand as they are to stab you in the back, and that a Gryffindor is more than happy to treat anything that wasn't considered light as evil without exception.

The girls didn't take the 'advice' well.

Things came to a head in their History of Magic class a month into their stay. A cabinet of rare Time-Turners had been put on display by the professor as part of the day's lesson.

The problem was that their class had been comprised of Slytherins and Gryffindors, and in the middle of a free discussion period, a smarmy Slytherin had insulted Sarah's status as an adopted child. Jenelle had leaped to her friend's defense immediately but was then attacked by an obnoxious Gryffindor, accusing her of only being friends with Sarah for her money.

 _That_ just riled everyone up, and within seconds a brawl had begun, much to the panic of the professor.

Sarah, in the process of drawing her wand and giving out a smackdown of epic magical proportions, had neglected to watch her back and had been hit with a knock-back curse, thrown into Jenelle, and both were propelled into the cabinet that housed the Time-Turners.

In slow motion, a class of now stilled students and one horrified professor watched as the fragile glass containers crashed onto the stone floors below, the sand housed inside whipping up into a tornado of cutting winds. It only took seconds for the sands to flutter to the floor, calm once more, but the two Ilvermorny girls were nowhere to be seen…

Where they ended up just so happened to be about thirty years in the past, give or take a handful of months.

Their sudden appearance in the same classroom they had been in might have caused a minimal amount of fuss, had it not been filled to the brim with students.

Twenty-seven teenagers and one ghost froze in bafflement as a few grains of sand began spinning near the front of the class. More and more sand quickly following until a veritable storm of it had appeared.

Just as quickly as it had appeared it went away, leaving two strangers lying in a heap on the ground. Needless to say, they had been promptly taken to the Infirmary amidst whispers and speculation, escorted by a harried McGonagall who had been dragged from her class by an unusually frantic Professor Binns to levitate them off the ground and down the corridors.

Jenelle awoke first, groggy and confused, the pounding headache forcing her to squint at the vaguely unfamiliar room. It somewhat looked like the infirmary of Hogwarts, but certain things were decidedly off.

She and Sarah had both been given a tour of the facilities on their first day at Hogwarts, and while the Healing Wing from her memory had certainly followed the theme of 'ancient magical castle from the Dark Ages,' there had been small indications of modern influence: updated bed frames, a magazine or two on the latest celebrity gossip, small but significant changes.

Now the metal cots, the decorations, the miscellaneous medical paraphernalia, everything looked in a word: vintage.

Jenelle's scattered memories of what happened slowly came back and her entire body stiffened in awareness and caution. She swung her head left and right, frantically looking for her friend.

Luckily she didn't need to look far; Sarah was laid up in the bed next to her.

She reached out, the other bed was quite close, and began pushing insistently against the girl's arm. "Hey, Sarah, wake up, _wake up_."

Sarah's eyes snapped open quickly before she winced, a hand coming up to cradle her forehead.

"Jen?" her voice was a little rough. "What the hell happened?"

Her friend shrugged as well as a person lying on their back could do. "I don't know. We were in class, then those assholes started that figh-"

"OH MY GOD you're right!" Sarah interrupted with way more energy than someone laid up in bed should have a right to, in Jenelle's personal opinion.

"Those ASSHATS!" Sarah continued to rant as she pounded the bedding at her side with a fist. "I can't believe people ACT like that! I mean, _seriously_ what the fuck?! Who the FUCK goes around saying shit like that and then ACTUALLY THROWS SPELLS AROUND LIKE A CRAZY PERSON!"

There was a cough from their left. Startled, the pair whipped their heads towards the source of the noise, their eyes landing on the entrance to the infirmary where an old man with a magnificent beard was standing.

The ancient-looking elder draped in glorious aubergine robes was pointedly staring at Sarah, a raised eyebrow enough to show his opinion on her choice of language.

Unknowingly, both the girls shared a thought, ' _Gandalf?'_ before Sarah smiled sheepishly and lowered her flailing arms from over her head.

"Ah, sorry Sir," she began. "I got uh, caught up."

The man chuckled as he waved his hand in the air. "It's quite alright my dear. Why, were I in your position, well perhaps my choice of vocabulary would not be so blistering, but I completely understand the sentiment."

His words had the freezing effect worthy of any paralysis spell, and both Sarah and Jenelle stared at him dumbly.

"Our...position, Sir?" Jenelle asked timidly. That didn't sound good to her.

The wizard sent them an unreadable look, but then broke into a gentle smile. "Ah yes, we do need to discuss that. Before we begin though, let me introduce myself, my name is Albus Dumbledore."

' _Balls._ ' was the only thing Sarah could think.

Jenelle teetered backward in a dead slump.

* * *

" _Did you hear me, I said, what do you mean we can't go back?!"_

Albus Dumbledore had just broken the news to the two displaced girls standing in his office, and the petite one was not taking it well.

Although he acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, he could not stem the tide of his curiosity towards the two. Hogwarts had not participated in a summer-exchange program with another magical school in centuries for many reasons. Cost, logistics, and credit transference were just a few of the problems that made exchange students an administrative nightmare, not to even begin mentioning cultural clashes and the current political climate.

To think that within the next fifty years Hogwarts would once again have its hall graced with welcome guests was something that Dumbledore was ecstatic to hear. It also gave him a hint, no matter how seemingly unconnected, towards the state of the future that both girls refused to expand on.

Miss Waterbrooke (and he was positive that at least her last name was a pseudonym, precocious child) had been adamant on that point, and with admittedly good reason. The two girls had been quite tight-lipped on everything but the absolute bare bones of their plight, now dubbed 'the Fight-That-Caused-This-Crappy-Situation' by the fiery Asian.

The name had been contested with a; "Sarah that's way too long for a name," only to be met with an amusing; "No, it's not it's fine, shut up."

The two were obviously good friends, despite the glinting silver and burnished gold reflecting in their ties.

Any questions that seemed to lead to something they considered unnecessary caused them to do their best to imitate clams, but Dumbledore was not Supreme Mugwump for nothing.

Using skills he had developed from decades of wading through political tete-a-tete's and advisory sessions with broody teenagers, he gleaned useful tidbits wherever he could from their stilted sentences and grudgingly given information.

And from what he had learned so far, Dumbledore had much to contemplate over.

But he would be keeping those thoughts to himself to ponder over later. Instead, he pulled his attention back to the girl, Sarah, who was growing more and more angry at his lack of response.

"Now now, Miss Waterbrooke, that's not what I said." He had a frown on his face that slowly caused Sarah to back down and hunker into her chair begrudgingly. "I simply stated that _we_ currently do not have a method for sending back you and Miss, ah, Montagnard?"

"Yes, sir." The other girl said absently from her seated position, still shocked over the news and staring ahead at nothing.

"Ah, French, my girl? How lovely, how lovely. Yes, as I was saying, Your method of reaching this time, unfortunately, was in such a way that we simply do not have the resources nor the starting point to begin rectifying your situation. You _will_ be sent back eventually, make no doubt about that, but with the way things are now, it seems only logical that we make contact with the MACUSA, inform them of the situation, and allow them to head the investigation. And speaking of, neither of you would happen to remember how many Time Turners were in that cabinet before it broke, would you?"

Waterbrooke and Montagnard shared a look, but Sarah shook her head; obviously, she hadn't been paying that much attention. Luckily, Jenelle had.

"I think.." the taller girl started hesitantly, not wanting to make a mistake, "I think there were seven? No, wait, nine. There were nine."

This was troubling news indeed to the Headmaster, and his brow furrowed in consideration.

"Hmm... nine you say?" He sat back in his chair, stroking his beard lightly. "If that is truly the case, then you might be here a bit longer than I had previously estimated."

"How so?" Sarah bit out, looking like she was trying to keep polite by the skin of her teeth.

Dumbledore's gaze sharpened as he brought his hands to lace under his chin. "What I mean is that each time turner holds a specific amount of sand which in turn holds a finite amount of time traveling power. A single Time Turner has the capability to transcend years, hence why you seem to have been knocked back so far."

"Now normally," he continued, "a time traveler would simply wait out the amount of time he or she travels, since that amount is usually no more than a day at most. Time would catch up to itself and realign. But that is with the guiding control of the Time Turner, unbroken and whole."

"And ours were, in a word, _not_." Sarah responded, looking less agitated, but far more worried now as she took a seat next to her friend.

"Correct Miss Waterbrooke," Dumbledore tilted his head toward her in acknowledgment. "Without a Time Turner to mediate its power, the Sands of Time became unstable. I do believe your government will have a field day sorting this particular mess out."

Jenelle spoke up at this, "But we _can_ return, right sir? That's what you said, right?" The thought of never seeing everything she had ever known seemed to be finally sinking in, and she looked sick.

Dumbledore smiled gently at her in reassurance, amused by the two extremely different personalities before him. While Miss Waterbrooke seemed to be the type to deal with unease through actions, Miss Montagnard was a much more passive and anticipatory being.

How very quintessential of their Houses.

"Have no fear, my dear girls," he looked to Sarah as well, and was glad to see her slowly relax her tensed posture. "Even if things can not be hastened by our own actions, the Sands of Time will always right themselves. However with the amount of Sand that was in play, instead of a single day you two might be looking at a matter of months to a year before you are, for lack of a better word, _blown_ back to your present time."

"Worry not though! In the meantime, we should discuss your living situations. Now, I know you've both mentioned wanting to stay at Hogwarts for the duration of your little venture, but are you absolutely sure, my dears?"

He gave them both slightly concerned glances. "You are more than welcome to stay of course, and Hogwarts will welcome you with open arms, but I must admit that perhaps it would make things a bit easier were you two within easy reach of the department heading your investigation."

The two girls exchanged glances before looking back towards him. Miss Montagnard spoke up hesitantly. "Actually sir, we figured that since the accident happened in a classroom here in the castle, we'd rather just stay here. Just in case, you know?"

"That and the fact that I want to finish DADA," Waterbrooke chimed in with a weak grin, clearly trying to find humor in the situation. "Ilvermorny's great, but the Dark Creature curriculum here is a lot different and I'd hate to miss out."

There were a few quiet chuckles and a single pair of rolling blue eyes before things fell quiet, the crackling of the fireplace filling the air with a relaxing atmosphere. There was plenty more to discuss, but for just a few moments things did not seem as convoluted as they were, and Dumbledore let the moment stretch for as long as he could.

* * *

Later, as the two were escorting themselves to the healer's wing again, Jenelle was finally able to ask a question that had been bothering her ever since they had come to this time.

"Hey Sarah?" she began, whispering out of the side of her mouth while looking forward. No need to tip off the paintings above their heads and alert unwanted listeners.

Sarah gave a hum to show that she was listening.

"Why did you tell the Headmaster that, _thing,_ about our names?" Namely, that she had changed them to the versions that they wished they had, the product of a late night conversation born of too much homework and not enough sleep.

"...To be honest," Sarah started slowly, gathering her thoughts, "thaaaaat might have been a mistake."

" _Sarah!"_

"Wait wait wait, hear me out!" Sarah hissed as she raised her hands defensively. "All I meant is that it would take us a little while to get used to, but trust me, we _really_ don't want to be using our real last names."

Jenelle's sideways stare as they walked was all Sarah needed to keep talking.

"I mean, no matter what, we shouldn't change crap to do with time, right?"

"Of course."

"And we don't want people connecting _anything_ we do while we're here to our current families back in the States, right?"

"I mean, I guess so."

"Annnnnd...I like the sound of Waterbrooke and Montagnard better..."

"...point."

"I thought so too. So yeah," Sarah finished as they reached the doors at the end of the hall, "that's all I got."

"Said the Gryffindor," Jenelle muttered under her breath, but not quietly enough.

"I will bite you."

"Of course you will."


	2. Chapter 2 - Responses and Reactions

CHAPTER 2 - Responses and Reactions

* * *

There were rumors and gossip flying about the castle at the speed of light. By the time James Potter and the others had made it down to the Great Hall for dinner, nearly everyone had heard of the two mysterious girls that had appeared in a flurry of sand and commotion.

The class they had appeared in, a group of third year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors, were the source of all available information. The Ravenclaws, were predictably a bit more factual in their observations and estimates, guessing that the girls were Hogwarts students due to their uniforms, but having no idea why no one had seen them before now.

The Gryffindors were adamant that they were a part of some kind of secret organization or a failed spying attempt from the growing threat of the Dark Lord. At the very least, the blonde Slytherin was automatically suspicious.

And that was another point that was eating away at everyone; what cause did a Gryffindor and a Slytherin have to be together? It was unthinkable! Perhaps they had been in a battle of some kind, it would explain them showing up together and the way they appeared.

...Somehow.

 _Looks like it doesn't matter either way,_ thought James as he stepped through the doors of the Hall. Already, the tables were full of curious students looking towards the front where the Headmaster was standing behind the Professors' Table. Next to him were the two subjects of everyone's interest.

"Woah," Sirius muttered to James as they paused in the aisleways. "Take a look at the knockers on _that_ one." Sirius' eyes locked on the blonde, or rather a certain part of her, before moving over to the other girl.

He seemed a bit surprised before a smirk made its way across his face highlighting his high cheekbones and roguish charm. "Well now, isn't that rare."

James agreed, it wasn't often that students from the Orient graced the halls of Hogwarts. Had he not already been enamored with his own Firelily he might have also been interested; she was cute in a foreign way.

 _Ah, Lily…_

The dopey smile that was plastered on his face was quickly erased though as Dumbledore stepped forward, and he and the other Marauders raced to grab a seat at the Gryffindor table. They settled just as Dumbledore cast a _sonorus_ and addressed the Hall.

"Attention everyone, your attention please." The students quieted and turned their focus to the Headmaster.

"Now, before we begin our supper I'd like to address a certain situation you're all no doubt already aware of."

"This morning, in one of the History of Magic classes, quite a few of our students received a bit of a surprise when two young people transported into the middle of Professor Binn's riveting lecture on the Goblin Wars of the 1600's."

Here he gestured to the girls. The tall one looked quite nervous, the Asian on the other hand was edging on belligerence.

James decided he liked her a little more.

"Now, I had planned on introducing them this morning, which is when they were supposed to have arrived," Dumbledore continued, "However, now's as good a time as any!"

At this, Dumbledore gave a twinkling smile to his audience. "You see, this year is a very special year for Hogwarts, in particular for our sixth-year students."

Sirius perked up at that, finally tearing his gaze away from the girls to focus on the Headmaster. Remus also looked interested; there was a small blush on his face that the werewolf was too slow to hide from James. _Hoh, do I spy a little crush for our Moony?_

"As some of you may be aware, while Hogwarts leads as one of the foremost magical schools in Europe there also exists the illustrious and impressive Ilvermorny, located in the United States."

James actually _did_ know that though it seemed a lot of his classmates didn't, judging by the surrounding looks of shock. James himself had been offered an invitation to study at the State's very own magical school, but it had been perfunctory at best; everyone knew that Potters always attended Hogwarts.

"These two young ladies, Miss Sarah Waterbrooke," Dumbledore beckoned towards the girls, and after a moment of hesitation, the shorter, Asian girl stepped forward, looking out with a steady gaze and a small, polite smile.

"And Miss Jenelle Montagnard." Next the very tall and still noticeably nervous blonde stepped forward.

"Yes, these two are to be part of what we will call a trial run, in a heartfelt attempt to create stronger bonds between our sister academies. They will be staying with us as honored guests anywhere from a semester to a full year."

"I wouldn't mind attempting a little bonding with either if you know what I mean..." Sirius grinned cheekily at his mates, and James gave him a playful nudge with his shoulder. Remus looked judgmentally at Sirius, while Peter chuckled weakly into his hands.

Dumbledore continued. "Now, Ilvermorny has quite the house secret when it comes to international transportation." Down the table, James spied his dear Lily perk up at that.

 _Ah Lily, always so interested in new things…_

"A bit of a mix between Britain's very own floo network and a portkey, students of Ilvermorny are granted access to a special sand that acts as a transportation mode between two different apparition points. Unfortunately, there was a small hiccup on our side and quite by accident our new students wound up completely in the wrong room when they were finally given the go ahead to hop over the pond."

"But now everything has been sorted, and speaking of!" Here, Dumbledore gave another smile before continuing, completely ignoring the grumbling of students that weren't satisfied with the explanation given. "In the spirit of cooperation and fun, these two have already been sorted into the houses that they will be staying with for the duration of their stay."

James took a closer look at the girls and lo and behold, they were still wearing the same Gryffindor and Slytherin ties they had been seen wearing in the afternoon. Sirius now had a slight sneer on his face as he leered at the blonde. James could completely understand; after all, what good was a Slytherin, attractive or not? Oh well, at least they had one of the new girls in their house.

Unexpectedly, Dumbledore's tone changed. James felt an involuntary shiver creep up his spine, for in from of him was was no longer the benevolent, kindly old man they had grown used to. No, here was _Albus Dumbledore_ , defeater of Grindelwald and the most powerful wizard of their time.

"I expect," his voice echoed throughout the now silent hall, "to see these ladies treated with the respect and kindness due to them as representatives of their school and you as yours. Should I hear for _any reason_ that this is not so, the consequences will be quite severe. Miss Waterbrooke and Miss Montagnard are both under my responsibility while staying with us, and as such, any issues that they may have in the future will go through me."

Dumbledore gave the Gryffindor table, and in particular the Marauders, the hairy eye before relaxing back into the kindly old man they all knew. Immediately the pressure in the room let up, as if a great cloud of heaviness had dissipated, but every student remembered what they had just seen and the lesson they had just learned.

 _Do not mess with these two._

James looked left at Remus and Peter, then right to Sirius. Catching everyone's eye, he mouthed the words " _Marauder meeting, Astronomy tower. After supper."_

* * *

 _(On the way to the Gryffindor Common Room)_

"You're going to love it here, I know it!"

Sarah was feeling so far out of her element it wasn't even funny. Had she been the same Sarah from even a few years ago, she would probably be either a scowling ball of angst or a nervous wreck.

Luckily life at Ilvermorny and having Jenelle as a friend had slowly brought her out of her shell and taught her social niceties that even her parents had been unable to instill.

She slapped a big, vapid smile on her face that was only partially false and responded, "I'm sure it will be an adventure!"

She and the prefect Lily Evans, and wasn't that a historical sucker-punch to the gut, were walking towards the Gryffindor common room, navigating the twisting halls and moving stairwells.

Eyes of both students and portraits followed in their wake, curiosity shining in every real and painted orb. Lily was doing a masterful job of pretending that no one else existed except them and continued engaging Sarah in conversation.

"Now don't worry about having missed classes on your first day, I'm sure you'll be able to catch up tomorrow and by Wednesday you'll be good to go." Lily gave a reassuring smile towards Sarah before moving on to what she really wanted to ask. "So you're from Ilvermorny correct?" Lily questioned curiously.

"Yep, that's me."

Lily grinned in excitement. "You've got to tell me all about it, I can't believe I never considered the existence of schools in other countries!"

Sarah thought about what would be appropriate for sharing, choosing her words as carefully as she could. "Well," she began, her eyes staring into nothing as they continued their journey, "Hogwarts and Ilvermorny are a little similar in that we both have four houses. Actually, Ilvermorny got the whole house idea from Hogwarts."

Lily was already fascinated, she could barely hold back her questions. "Really? I never knew that! What houses do you have there?"

Sarah began ticking off on her fingers. "Well, let's see. I guess we can start with my house, Thunderbird. The house representative animal is from Native American and South American origins, it's a mythical bird that has the power to bring thunderstorms wherever it flies."

"Are Thunderbirds real?" Lily had never heard of them, nor read about them in her Care for Magical Creatures textbook.

"Oh definitely!" Sarah was starting to get into her story and it showed in her smile, "They're considered an endangered species but Ilvermorny has one of the biggest and best aviaries for Thunderbirds in all the Americas!"

"Wow, I wish I could see one." Lily sighed wistfully.

"Well, anyway, Thunderbird house is the house of the soul, and favors adventurers." Sarah continued as they strolled down another hallway. "But not just physical adventures you see, it's also spiritual too."

Lily looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, exploring your own soul, self-reflection, all those things take bravery, and they're all different forms of an adventure."

Lily was gazing contemplatively at the other girl while Sarah continued to share about her school houses. When she had first spied the two girls standing next to the headmaster, she had initially thought the new Gryffindor to be a bit cold in personality.

But now that they were talking Lily was pleasantly surprised to learn that the shorter girl was actually quite friendly, once you got her on a topic she was comfortable with at least. While they had only just met, the redhead liked what she had seen so far, and resolved to make friends with her new housemate.

Waterbrooke had noticed that she had been the only one speaking for some time, and was now showing signs of embarrassment. Feeling amused, Lily put a friendly hand on the other girl's arm. "Sorry if I wasn't adding in," she apologized, "I was just having too much fun listening! Would you mind telling me more?"

Sarah tilted her head to the side and nodded, eyes closed in a cute way. "Sure! So, let me tell you about the house of the Wampus. Seriously, if I hadn't gotten into Thunderbird, I would have chosen Wampus. I had the choice."

"No way!"

* * *

"So, what's the verdict, my good fellows?"

The four Marauders had snuck out in the middle of dinner, despite the feeble protests of a still-hungry Peter. They were now congregated in the empty Astronomy Tower, discussing their potentially newest form of entertainment: the transfers.

"I call first go at the Asian!" That comment could have only come from Sirius, and low and behold, as Remus turned his head, there was Padfoot, his hand raised like he was in McGonagall's class and grinning stupidly.

"Really, Pads?" James asked sardonically. Peter was shaking his head as well, clearly not surprised nor impressed by their friend's hound dogging. "You haven't even _spoken_ to the girl yet. What if she turns out to be some kind of crazy stalker like that one Ravenclaw? Or a blood-purist?"

"Then I just won't owl her back the day after," Sirius responded flippantly. "Come on James! Don't tell me _you're_ interested?" The dark-haired boy's whine was met with an affronted look from James.

"As if I'd ever cheat on Evans!" he mock-gasped. "Just don't come crying to me if she decides to try and hex off your balls when you're finished with her. Americans are prickly like that."

Now Sirius was the one to look insulted. "Oh please," he scoffed, crossing his arms, "I may cheat and I may lie, but _never_ have I left a bird unsatisfied!"

Remus innocently buffed his nails on his shirt as he interjected. "How long did it take you to come up with that rhyme, Pads? Half a year? A little more?"

"Damn Moony, that's just hurtful."

"W-what about the other?" stammered Peter.

Sirius instantly sneered. "Bit of a lost cause, don't you think?" he shrugged, dismissing what he obviously thought was the waste of time. Remus winced, and it was quickly caught by James.

"Oy oy oy!" he said, sliding up to Remus and ribbing him good-naturedly. "I _thought_ I saw you blushing at supper, Moony, what's this then?"

Remus elbowed the boy right back and with far more viciousness, causing James into clutch at his smarting side and scowl. "Shove off Prongs, it's nothing."

Sirius nodded emphatically, "Yeah, come on Prongs, Moony knows better than to go fancying a bloody _Slytherin_ of all things."

"Right," Remus agreed. If there was any latent sting that came from his words, Remus squashed it down with a vengeance.

"So we're all in agreement then?" James checked, looking around the room at each of his friends. "We welcome our new Gryffindor?"

"We better, don't you think? Dumbledore was really specific that we shouldn't mess with either of them." Peter warned. He remembered the look that the headmaster had sent the Marauders at dinner; he shivered just thinking of it.

James turned and started walking towards the exit. "Ehh I guess we'll leave the blonde alone for now, at least until she does something suspicious. Anyway, let's get going. Lily should be finishing up her tour of the castle soon and I know _someone_ ," he waggled his eyebrows at an eagerly moving Sirius, " will want to be there for the big welcome."

As the others made to leave Remus took up the rear, dragging his feet while his friends made their way with much more enthusiasm. He had denied being interested in the Ilvermorny Slytherin just seconds ago, but he still found his thoughts drifting to her. Nothing concrete or clear, but there was curiosity, a desire to know more.

Maybe he'd make a stronger opinion when they all got to know their new housemate a little better.


	3. Chapter 3 - A Dance of Oblivious

CHAPTER 3 - A Dance of Oblivious Advancements

* * *

Sirius was relaxing with the other Marauders in the common room, as was the rest of his house. It was somewhat late, but everyone was pretending to have something important to do; Maggie Pierce was knitting in front of the fire, Frank Longbottom was having a riveting conversation with his girlfriend Alice concerning their schedules for the the new year, and over in the corner Sirius could spot a couple of his Quidditch mates absently tossing a dud of a bludger around.

They weren't fooling anyone though, they all had the same reason for haunting the common room.

And speaking of the boggart, the portrait swung open and in stepped Lily Evans (bollocks, there goes James) and after that…

 _Hello…_

Sirius took his time as he slowly dragged his eyes up and down the unsuspecting object of his intent, cataloging every important detail. Sleek black hair that was highlighted in reds and oranges from the glow of the hearth in the center of the common room. Dark and exotic eyes, dramatically slanted and altogether very different from the rounder gazes he was used to staring into. A short and slim stature, the top of her head looked like it would come just up to his shoulders, perfect for tucking under his chin in a romantic gesture that he had used countless times before.

As for personality, she seemed friendly and open, if slightly and understandably awkward in the new environment.

Overall, in Sirius' mind? _Definitely interest-worthy._

Realizing that he had been staring for a while as introductions were being made, he shook his head to refocus. Sliding away from his place near the far wall he circled around the room until he was right behind Evans and the new girl.

He planned on giving a suave introduction to set the tone of their interactions in the future. Finally when Evans had turned away to shoo off some of the more pushy questioners he swooped in, tapping her on the shoulder. The girl turned quickly to face him and he put on his best smile, the one that always got hearts pumping.

"Hey there, my name's Sirius. Sirius Black." He threw in a smoldering look, staring deeply into her eyes. "So you're stuck with Evans for a tour guide huh? Why don't I give you a personal tour tomorrow, I'm sure between the two of us we could cover all of the most interesting areas."

 _Cue the fluttering eyes and cute blush_ , he thought smugly.

The girl seemed a bit surprised, before pulling a face and waving away with one hand. "Oh no, Lily has been great. No need to go out of your way, but I appreciate it, really!" She ended it with a bright smile and a laugh, and Sirius blinked, nonplussed.

"Umm..." He couldn't help bet feel slightly off his game, but gathered himself back together to try again. "Well, I'm sure Evans does as well as she can, she's prefect for a reason," he said this a bit grudgingly. Lily Evans and her high-horse could trample over the Marauder's fun in an instant if she wanted to, and she usually did.

"But me and my mates, well, we're pretty well known, I'm sure you'd have an amazing time with us. Or if you'd prefer, you could just get to know me first."

This time he moved in a bit closer so that there was only a foot of distance between them, angling himself so the the girl had to crane her neck up to keep eye contact. It was an adorable position for her, something Sirius definitely wanted to see it more often.

"So do you watch any sports over in America? Do you have Quidditch? I'm a Beater you know," his voice was silky smooth, "I won't lie, it's a workout, quite the physically demanding position, but I manage to pull through rather well."

 _Ok, now cue fluttering eyes and cute blush_ , he thought to himself, absolutely sure that she had gotten his message.

Yet it seemed that she was more oblivious than he had anticipated, for again she simply laughed in a friendly manner, distinctly lacking in reddened cheeks and shy side glances.

"Nah, I'm not much for sports really. Or at least, I'm only a fan of rock climbing."

Now Sirius was really confused. _Climbing rocks, for fun?_

"Err," his brows came together as he scrambled for a response, "that's, adventurous of you?" He scratched his head as he asked, "is that a common thing for wizards and witches in the States?"

Her face seemed to freeze at his question, and she let out an unladylike "Uhh, well..."

She leaned in slightly, and Sirius mirrored her. "Don't tell anyone, ok?" she whispered with a conspiratorial gleam, "My mom already thinks my cousin is gonna break her neck someday climbing. Moll Dyer knows what she'd do to me if she found out I'm doing the same."

Sirius grinned, he definitely understood a thing or two about disappointing your mother in all the funnest ways. He'd keep her little hobby a secret.

"No problem," he responded, his smile a bit more honest than before, "It sounds pretty entertaining, maybe you can show me how it's done sometime?" And there went another smirk. He still had an initial goal to meet, after all.

Sarah looked at him in contemplation, as if she was judging his sincerity. Sirius tried to keep his expression as innocent as possible. He must have succeeded because she gave a small shrug of her shoulders before responding, "Sure, if you're up for it."

"Oh, I'm up for a lot of things," he purred.

"Cool." She smiled.

Now he was confused again. "Cool?" he asked.

"Uhh... Nevermind."

"So what's the deal with you and that girl you came with?"

The question had been aimed at Sarah by James. They, along with Sirius and their two friends Remus and Peter, were sitting around the hearth in the Common Room, getting to know each other.

Remus seemed to perk up at the question, looking towards her with interested eyes. In response, Sarah raised an eyebrow and Remus flinched before trying to appear more nonchalant.

Sarah turned her gaze back to James, who looked impatient. Keeping the same look she had with Remus, she asked: "What do you mean?"

"He means how in the world are the two of you connected," Sirius interrupted. His hand waved through the air in a gesture full of meaning. "The girl's a Slytherin right?" he scoffed, hiking up Sarah's irritation.

"...And?" Sarah was being deliberately obtuse, but she was tired of getting this question, past or present, it was always the same!

This time Peter spoke up, his eyes darting between her and his friends. "Isn't," he started, "isn't she, well...you two aren't friends are you?"

 _She's evil, right?_ went unspoken, but easily understood.

Sarah thought very carefully about how she was going to respond. Normally, she'd just lay into anyone who acted like these three, but she was in a rather precarious position. The only person she trusted completely in this time might as well be a thousand miles away for all that they were in the same building, and despite their less-than-stellar attitudes Sarah really did want to make friends with these boys around her.

Oh, she recognized that war heroes or not, they were still bullying little asshats at this point in their lives, there was no denying it. There was also the fact that Peter Pettigrew was a known backstabbing piece of trash.

That being said Sarah wanted to get to know them, to be a part of their infamous lives if only a little. Call it shallow, Sarah would own up to it gladly.

Now, it was just an act of balancing her desire to dish out some well-deserved snark with the necessity of not having the first people she talked to hate her guts. Times like these, she reluctantly remembered her mother drilling this exact situation into her head:

( _Sarah, part of being an adult is making nice with people you don't like, even if you don't want to. You're going to meet a lot of people that will make you angry, but you deal with it, either because they are family, coworkers, or people you need on your side. You'd best get used to it._ )

 _Well, it's taken seventeen years Mom, but I'm finally starting to understand what you meant._

"Careful there," she decided to warn them gently but firmly. She looked them each in the eye to make sure they knew how serious she was being. "Jenelle and I have been friends since our first year at Ilvermorny,and after a...rough patch we'll call it, we became best friends. Slytherin or Gryffindor, we're both Thunderbirds at the end of the day and our time here isn't going to change our minds."

She grinned brightly, going for a look as nonchalant as possible. "Besides, I love snakes! They're adorable!"

The boys stared at her in shock, before James opened his mouth again. "Y-you like snakes?" he stuttered like he couldn't believe his ears.

"Of course! They're so cute with their itty bitty eyes and their little noodle-bodies!" Sarah laughed. "Besides, I'm allergic to any animal with fur, so snakes are some of the only animals that I can love and they can love me back without an allergy attack."

The wary look the boys had melted into one that was more amused, which was what she had been aiming for; self-depreciating or ridiculous humor always had a way of diffusing tension she had come to realize.

Sirius, who was sitting next to her on the couch, chuckled as he shook his head. Sarah noticed that he did that a lot; it made him look kind of dog-like. She secretly thought it was cute but she'd be damned if she ever said that out loud.

"Alright," James conceded, his hands raised defeatedly, "when you put it that way I guess we can understand, although, noodle-bodies, really?" She shrugged at his look, completely unapologetic.

"But" Sirius jumped in, "we're just trying to help you out Waterbrooke." His face got more earnest in his misplaced need to open her eyes to the sliminess that was Slytherin House. "You're new here so it's completely forgivable that you don't know, but people who go into Slytherin are all a bunch of stuck-up, elitist, blood-focused..."

He trailed off as he noticed the glare directed at him by Remus. He threw a look at Sarah who could tell that whatever face she was making was at least somewhat off-putting.

Remus jumped in before Sirius could stick his foot in his mouth anymore, playing peacekeeper. "What he's trying to say," he soothed "is that we would love it if you could tell us how you became friends. We almost never see friendships between Gryffindors and Slytherins here, but I'm guessing there's a different kind of distinction at your own school?"

She slowly took in each of the boys and their expressions. While they mostly looked like they wanted to argue with Remus, they also looked a bit interested. Figuring that this was as good a time as any to get this conversation out of the way, Sarah took a deep breath before letting out a sigh.

"Ok," she said to herself, "where to start..."


	4. Chapter 4 - Regaling the Lions

CHAPTER 4: Regaling the Lions

* * *

"Umm, actually," Peter raised his hand like he was in class, "would you mind starting with your school houses? It's just that I think a lot could be explained if we knew what they were like." His voice had trailed off by the end of his sentence as he looked to his friends for approval. Luckily they all seems to agree with him, so he sat a little straighter in his chair looking pleased with himself.

Sarah nodded in agreement, that was as good a place as any to start.

"Ok, let's begin with a little history then. There are four houses of Ilvermorny, like Hogwarts, but instead of being named after the founders they were chosen by the school founders Isolt and her No-Maj husband James, as well as their adopted sons, Chadwick and Webster."

"What's a No-Maj?" James leaned back into his chair to get comfortable, but by no means was uninterested judging by the inquisitive look on his face.

"Oh, sorry, you call them muggles here, right?" Sarah checked.

"One of your founders was a muggle? Blimey." Sirius looked amazed, as did the others.

Sarah continued talking, noticing that the common room around them had quieted as she delved into her tale. "There's a lot of backstory behind it but to make it simple each house represents part of what makes a wizard whole, and also some corresponding personality traits."

"Isolt chose the Horned Serpent, which she had a history with. It represents the mind of a wizard, and favors scholars. A lot of Serpent students are extremely intelligent, and they're the absolute best to partner up with when you have a group project! Serpents also usually become scholars, specialized consultants, curse breakers, or tacticians."

She looked to Remus at this, who was now leaning on his elbows toward her. She figured he would like the Horned Serpent, he seemed like the brainy type.

"Her husband James was the only No-Maj of the family and didn't have a lot of experience with magical creatures, so eventually he decided on the Pukwudgie. And before you ask," she held up a hand to stop the questions she could already see forming, "A Pukwudgie is kinda like a goblin's distant American cousin, equipped with poisoned arrows and a whole lot of snark. They actually work in my school and provide security and maintenance, but the house represents the heart of a wizard. Pukwudgies are really protective, and a lot of them become healers, although they're also recently expanded into wizard security and other jobs like that."

Peter actually appeared to be contemplating what she said. Sarah still wasn't quite sure how to react to the mousy boy. She knew what his future was, and she just couldn't comprehend how someone could betray their closest friends the way he would one day. She also had very limited patience for quiet types, too boring for her, so that tipped her opinion of Pettigrew even more into negative territory.

Sarah knew though that his betrayal had not happened yet and that at the moment he was a loyal friend, so for the time being she would remain as neutral as she could.

Sarah took a drink of water from the glass that was sitting on the side table before continuing with a grin.

"The oldest son, Chadwick, was said to be really intelligent but also temperamental, so when he chose the Thunderbird as his house name, a lot of people agreed later on that it was a good fit. The Thunderbird represents the soul, and favors adventurers of all types. You get a lot of thrill-seekers in my house, but there's also a lot of people who just like a good challenge. Surprisingly, there's a lot of mind healers there too, since some Thunderbird students take exploring the mind as their house embodiment."

James looked enthralled at the sound of the Thunderbird house, and Sarah took a lot of pride in that.

She continued, "The last house was chosen by the younger son Webster. He apparently could argue like no one's business but he was also fiercely loyal, so he decided that his house would be represented by the Wampus, a magical panther that's fast, strong, and almost impossible to kill. The Wampus came to represent the body of a wizard, and prefers warriors of all kinds. A lot of Wampus students serve in the No-Maj military or in the aurors, become famous duelists, or leaders in their fields."

Now Sirius had perked up. Sarah guessed that the thought of a house dedicated to warriors connected to something primal in him, the image of being surrounded by people who embodied strength and loyalty resonated with his soul.

"Ya'll keepin' up so far?" Sarah accidentally slipped into her more Southern wording as she got caught up in telling her story. Little did she know that the boy next to her thought it was utterly precious.

Everyone nodded their heads, entranced in the world she was building. They weren't going anywhere for a while.

"Alright, now, Hogwarts uses the Sorting Hat for its Sorting Ceremony, right?" she asked her audience.

"That's right," Remus answered, "you went through it before you and Montagnard came to Hogwarts, correct?"

"Right," she confirmed, "but did you know that Ilvermorny's Sorting Ceremony is completely different?"

Peter looked at her with stars in his eyes, "How do you do it?" he whispered.

"At Ilvermorny, every new student stands in the center of the Stateroom of Sorting Statues, yes, yes, laugh at the alliteration." She rolled her eyes at the chuckles that broke out in the group, only to notice that the laughter was not confined to just their circle. Looking around, she noticed that she had gained quite the audience, but just shrugged and moved on.

"Anyway, the Stateroom is one of the most important features in all of Ilvermorny. In each of the cardinal directions, there is a massive wooden statue that represents each house. In the center of the circle is a Gordian knot, where the new student waits to be sorted."

"You see," she leaned in conspiratorially, "At Ilvermorny if a house wants you the statues react by coming alive!" She was met with _oohs_ and _ahhs_.

"The crystal on the head of the Horned Serpent will light up, the Wampus will roar, the Thunderbird beats its wings, the Pukwudgie lifts it's poisoned arrow into the air. And this is really important," Sarah's face suddenly became serious, "a student can be chosen by more than one house, and if that happens, the student chooses which house they want to go to."

Everyone sat stunned after they heard this; the idea was so similar, yet completely different from how things are done at Hogwarts!

"Wait," Lily Evans, who had been listening from the sidelines, interrupted, "is that what you meant when you said that you had the choice to go into Wampus if you had wanted?" Every head turned back to look at Sarah, who was grinning in pride.

"Yep" she chirped, "when it was my turn, the Wampus called and the Thunderbird beckoned."

"So why did you choose Thunderbird?" asked Remus.

It was something she thought about often, so she was ready with a reply. "Because while being a warrior and a fighter sounded awesome," she admitted sheepishly, "when I was little, I wanted more than anything to be, well, free I guess you could say. Thunderbird just resonated with me a lot more." It was obvious to the others that she was a little embarrassed by her honesty, so they didn't comment on it.

"And the blonde?" Sirius asked, looking intrigued despite his negative opinion on all things Slytherin. "How exactly does she represent your house?"

Sarah went silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "I think Jenelle represents a part of Thunderbird that isn't as obvious but just as important." She looked towards the ceiling as she spoke. "She could have been Thunderbird or Pukwudgie, you see."

This came as a surprise to many, a Slytherin as a healer or an adventurer?

"But Jenelle," she continued, "she chose Thunderbird and I didn't ask why. Never considered asking. I just, never thought that she belonged anywhere else."

The room was quiet as people digested that, before someone from the back cleared his throat. "That's really interesting and all, but that still doesn't really explain how you two are friends, not that I've seen you two together very long, but, you both seem really different from each other." Many students nodded, agreeing with the boy who spoke.

"Oh we're very different." Sarah nodded her head. That seemed to surprise James, he had probably expected for her to leap to her friend's defense.

"She's emotional, I'm more apathetic, she's demonstrative and likes hugging, I only do that with people I'm really comfortable with, she loves fashion and the latest celebrity gossip, I only care about fashion so long as I look good, and I could go my entire life without know who is sleeping with who and live happily," she listed. "We borderline hated each other in our third year, and it got so bad that our friends had to intervene and sit us down for a mediated talk!"

Peter looked bewildered at her words. "So then...why?" he wondered out loud.

"Ah, well, you see..." Sarah beckoned him closer, and everyone one leaned in, wanting to hear.

"That," she whispered, "is a secret!"

Groans and curses were heard throughout the room; James slapped a hand to his forehead while Sirius laughed loudly. She figured that he of all people could appreciate a well-played joke.

"Sorry everyone," Sarah chuckled, "but if you want to know how two Thunderbirds could be sorted as a lion and a snake and be friends," she gave one last challenging smile, "you'll just have to spend time with us and find out."


	5. Chapter 5 - A Den of Serpents

CHAPTER 5 : A Den of Serpents

* * *

Jenelle absentmindedly rubbed a towel against her hair and glanced around the open floor of the Slytherin common room. It was cool and dry down below the grounds of the castle. The dungeon was as dark and gothic as Jenelle remembered it being back in her time, and not much had really changed it seemed.

There were dark emerald sofas and lounge chairs scattered about with dark cherry tables and dressers pushed up against the stone walls. A huge fireplace was centered in the room and provided nearly all of the light and heat. The students had retired for the night but Jenelle had ventured back out to take a look around without having to worry about being stared at.

She was worried about Sarah. How was she faring up in the Gryffindor common room? Was everyone being nice to her? Was she feeling overwhelmed? Being sorted into separate houses had always been a possibility but after sharing a dormitory for so long it was difficult to get used to her not being around.

 _It's just misplaced worry_ , she thought to herself. _I'm sure Sarah is fine and yucking it up with the Marauders as we speak_. _Lucky duck._

"You are being idle, young Slytherin," came a voice from behind Jenelle. She jumped at the unexpected but familiar sound and a chill went up her spine.

The Bloody Baron was floating a few feet above the ground, his feet hidden in mist and his ornate hat held with one hand at his waist. He was wearing the same glamorous wig of pin curls and an impressive get-up with a ridiculous amount of lace and buttons. There were two dark spots on his coat and a necklace of chains hung heavy on his shoulders.

"Oh, it's just you. You scared me, Baron," Jenelle sighed in relief.

"What's this? Have we met?" said the Baron, none-too-politely.

"Well...that's difficult to answer. Yes and no I guess. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Jenelle made an awkward little curtsy and attempted to neaten her messy damp hair in a way that looked presentable.

"Hm," the Baron huffed "yes, I recall Headless mentioning something from Dumbledore about our new time-travelers roaming the castle. I suppose we have been burdened with one of them." The ghost threw out his cap and bent in a low bow.

"Welcome to Slytherin house."

"Thank you, Baron" Jenelle smiled politely, "And I'm sorry for being idle, I wanted a chance to look around while everyone was asleep."

"Naught you mind that. I have a query for you. Are we still vexed by a pesky apparition by the name of _Peeves_ in the distant future? I should like to know if I shall need to endure his presence for the rest of my damnable afterlife." The Baron spat Peeves' name as if it tasted bitter in his mouth.

Jenelle smothered a giggle.

"Well, I guess there's no harm in telling you. Yes, I'm afraid he is still a menace to the castle many years from now."

"Sard! Shall we never have rest..." the Baron exclaimed disappointedly, turning toward the closest wall and vanishing through the stone in a wisp of gray smoke.

Jenelle laughed to herself and started walking around one of the sofas to have a seat by the fire. As she rounded the corner she was startled at the sight of a young man laying with an open roll of parchment over his face. Inky black hair was sprawled over the arm of the chair and the man's fingers were long, slender, and incredibly pale.

Jenelle covered her mouth by instinct and started slowly walking backward, hoping to high heaven that he hadn't heard her conversation with the Baron.

"No need to run off. I heard everything," The boy's voice came out muffled from under the paper.

"Fuuuuuu-," Jenelle breathed. _Sarah is going to kill me._

The boy sat up and pulled the parchment from his face. It took a moment for Jenelle to recall why the face looked so familiar when it hit her like a kick to the gut.

 _Severus Snape!_

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Severus asked. (Or is it Snape? What do you call a wizard you know of but have never "met"?)

"Oh, nothing… I just...Uhmm…"

"Are you always this inarticulate?" Severus tilted his head to the side and gave Jenelle a quick up-and-down with his dark beady eyes.

Jenelle was offended enough to find her senses. "I'm not. Actually, I'm a very prolific writer thank you very much."

"I think you'll find the standards in the 1970's to be a little different," he raised a knowing eyebrow at her.

 _Crap! He did hear everything! Dumbledore is going to be so angry…_

"Relax. You'll find us Slytherins to be a particularly loyal sort, no matter the era." He sighed and reclined back on the sofa, waving a lazy hand at the recliner by the fire. Jenelle was at a loss for words but nodded and took the seat. It was warm and comforting by the fireplace. It almost made the common room seem a little less like a Diablo boss battle dungeon.

"So…" Jenelle started uneasily. She found the silent, contemplative Slytherin to be a nice change of pace but it was rather hard to start a conversation.

"There's a lot of noise around you and your Gryffindor mate," Severus said matter-of-factly.

"Ha ha, yeah, I suppose there would be. Didn't expect Dumbledore to introduce us to the whole damn school like that."

"Wow, you _are_ a foreigner," Severus mused.

"Huh? What makes you say that all of a sudden?"

"'Whole damn school'," Severus mimicked in a terrible recreation of a New England accent. Jenelle laughed and relaxed a bit.

"If you think I sound funny, wait until you hear my friend Sarah when she gets angry and her Southern accent really kicks in."

"She's American?" Severus looked confused, which apparently upset him because he scrunched his nose up in distaste.

"Of course she is. Well, maybe not 'of course'. It's obvious to me anyway." Jenelle was neatly folding and unfolding her hand towel as she spoke.

"Narcissa thought she was from Mahoutokoro or someplace in the Orient."

Jenelle flinched at the word _orient_. "Wow, that's a thing people say. Alright, well no. She's from Ilvermorny like me. We're in the same house."

"Which one is the best house at Ilvermorny?" Severus was trying his best to look disinterested but he didn't have a very good poker face.

"What a Slytherin thing to ask…" Jenelle laughed.

"How's that now?"

"Ambition. Competition. _'I wanna be the very best like no one ever was'_ and all that jazz."

"I simply can't understand a word that comes out of your mouth," Severus rolled his eyes and pulled up his reading, steadfastly ready to ignore the peculiar time-traveling transfer student.

"Sorry, I was having that problem even before I got sent back a few decades…"

"Right."

"And for the record, our house of Thunderbird is the best. Though we don't have nearly the competition between houses that you do here at Hogwarts."

"I see."

Jenelle paused. "So... you really don't want to know anything about the future? I figured as soon as someone found out about me and Sarah the questions wouldn't stop coming."

"It takes a lot more to peak my interest," Severus sighed.

"So you'll keep our secret?" Jenelle looked on hopefully. Severus glanced sideways at the pleading look on Jenelle's face.

"I suppose I shall have to. I don't want to deal with Dumbledore either."

Jenelle let out a big sigh of relief. _Dodged a bullet on that one!_

"Oi, Severus! Slughorn wants our written biographies for the dinner on Saturday by tomorrow morning. You finish yours?" A young slinky boy strode confidently into the room. He slowed upon seeing Jenelle sitting by the fireplace and smirked in a way that felt overcompensating to her.

 _Does no one freaking sleep in this house?_

"Now now, who do we have here Sev? Staking your claim on the transfer student already? You cheeky tosser." The boy smacked Severus on the top of the head before leaping over the back of the sofa and settling down next to him. Severus threw his parchment roll at him and grunted.

"Bugger off, Regulus."

 _Regulus? As in, Regulus Black? Sarah will flip when she meets him._

"I'm Jenelle, nice to meet you."

Regulus kept staring in a blatantly assessing way that made Jenelle wish Sarah was there to throw some sort of snarky comment at him.

"Reg, stop being such a dementor and sucking the good air out of the room." Severus crossed his arms behind his head and stared into the fireplace.

"Can't help it, of the two transfer students only one of them is worth getting to know." He nodded at Jenelle, obviously trying to establish an early rapport.

 _On the other hand, maybe Sarah would be better off not meeting this prick._

"You can shut your mouth about Sarah buddy. I don't know who you are ( _heh)_ but I don't like people talking shit about my best friend."

Regulus looked pissed for a split second but then amused. Severus made a coughing sound that could have possibly been a laugh, it was hard to tell.

"No need to get so heated. I only meant that your 'friend' had the unfortunate luck of being sorted into the lowliest house at Hogwarts."

"What makes them so lowly, dare I ask?"

"They're absolutely teeming with un-magical lineage. It's like a mudblood breeding house." Regulus scowled and spit into the fire. Impressive, but disgusting.

"Prejudices aside, Sarah is a pureblood. Not that it's any of your business."

It was Severus' turn to scoff. "She's still a Gryffindor. You're lucky to have been sorted into a better house."

"I'm seeing a lack of reasons to be thankful at the moment." Jenelle folded her arms across her chest and leaned back into the chair, turning away from the dark-haired Slytherins.

"I see you boys have managed to offend our new housemate in record time. Bravo." Yet another voice entered the room. This time it was a lithe, gorgeous girl with bleach blonde hair wearing a dark nightgown and heavy, dark green robe.

 _That has to be Narcissa, I'm not even going to have to guess._

"Cissy! Glad you could join us. I don't suppose you've finished your biography for Slughorn?" Regulus turned in his seat, eyes pleading, to ask the girl.

"I have indeed. A week ago in fact. And no, you may not use mine as a reference, Regulus. It's just a biography for Merlin's sake. Write it yourself." Narcissa walked around the sofas and took the recliner across from Jenelle's. She looked at the new witch with sincere interest and Jenelle thought she seemed charming enough. Like a little sister type.

Then, as an afterthought she added, "And don't call me 'Cissy,' I've told you a hundred times."

"Right right, bloody hell you're no help at all." Regulus slouched and started picking at the end of his wand in annoyance.

"So you're really all the way from Ilvermorny? Wicked. Is it amazing? What do you study? How are your professors?" Young Narcissa was very different to how Jenelle had imagined her from textbooks.

"Wow, those were the sort of questions I was hoping to hear." Jenelle laughed.

"Is it true the other girl is a Gryffindor? How unfortunate…" Narcissa frowned.

Jenelle looked at them all exasperated. "What the hell people? You all have a complex, seriously."

"You don't know them like we do," Regulus scoffed.

"They can be quite awful," Narcissa whispered.

"I can't believe that. I'm sure they aren't all bad." Jenelle pleaded with the young Slytherins.

"They are." Severus looked up and his eyes bore into Jenelle with a sad intensity. "They really are."

 _Knowing your history I can't really argue can I…?_

"Okay, but in any case, Sarah isn't like that. In fact, I was surprised she wasn't sorted into Slytherin. She has a lot more in common when it comes to their tenacity and due diligence than I do."

"Why I wonder then why she was dropped in Gryffindor house?" Narcissa asked no one.

Jenelle thought about that for a moment. "Well she is definitely brave, and daring. She's usually the one that pushes me to try new things and take chances. She sticks up for people and isn't afraid of sacrificing herself for someone or a cause. She can be short tempered at times, but then again, so can I."

The group was listening with skeptical faces. It seemed painful for them to listen to a Gryffindor being praised, pureblood or not.

"How did you end up in the same house then?" Severus mused.

"Well our sorting process is different. The house or houses pick us, and then we can decide which one we'd like to join. I think they are less connected to who we are at the time and more connected to the person we will become. Almost like the houses can see the future." Jenelle smiled as she remembered the sorting ceremony for her year. The Stateroom of Sorting Statues was massive and the statues themselves were overwhelmingly so.

"So did you choose your house then?" Regulus seemed as interested as Narcissa now.

"Thunderbird, correct?" Severus muttered. Jenelle wasn't sure if he was actually interested or just wanted to show off his Ilvermorny knowledge to his companions.

"Yes, I did decide to join Thunderbird. But I was also compelled to join Pukwudgie. It is said that Thunderbird represents the soul of a witch or wizard, and Pukwudgie the heart."

"So why not the heart?" Narcissa had a gleam in her eyes. That was the sort of inquisitive look of a Slytherin Jenelle loved.

"Why not, that's a good question." Jenelle smiled to herself. "I suppose I'm not even sure of the reason yet."

"What do you study at Ilvermorny?" Narcissa was on fire with the questions considering how late it was.

"A lot of the same things you study here although Hogwarts does offer some classes that we don't. Charms, Potions, things like that are still the same. We have a very intensive Herbology course. Ilvermorny can't really be disconnected from the nature that surrounds it and was such a big part of its inception. We practice some older magic too, things that come from the Natives of North America."

The three Slytherins were all interested now it seems. They were leaning forward with earnest expressions and quietly took in all the information that was presented to them.

"What sort of magic is that?" Severus wanted to know.

Jenelle paused for effect. "Wandless magic." She breathed dramatically.

"Bullocks." Regulus croaked.

"It's true! Up until recently, students weren't permitted to use wands outside of school, they had to leave their wands while on vacations. So at home students were introduced to other means of using magic. Most people in the US can only master a few wandless spells after years and years of practice, but it's still incredibly useful for increasing the speed that we learn nonverbal casting." Jenelle smiled proudly and sat back in her chair. The Slytherins nodded and seemed to reflect on what she had said. Like all Slytherins, she knew they prided witches and wizards who were a little full of themselves.

That was a good note to end on, she decided. She stood up to head back to her room and rest of them grumbled goodnight as she walked past. As she bounded the few steps to the hallway and turned the corner she stopped and pressed her back up against the wall. Then, pulling her wand from her pocket she pressed the tip of it to her temple and silently mouthed an eavesdropping charm.

Slowly the Slytherins' voices became clearer to her ears like they were emerging from underwater.

"...nothing notable about them. I don't think we have anything to worry about." That was Narcissa's soft voice.

"Slughorn is already clamoring to get them to one of his dinners," Regulus added with a yawn.

"Still, keep your wits about you. Wandless magic cannot be overlooked and she seems too hasty to defend a Gryffindor in my opinion. Don't go spilling family secrets around her." Severus spoke harshly and it saddened Jenelle to hear he thought so little of her.

"You don't trust her then? This would be a great chance Severus, to extend our reach overseas and further the cause-"

"Shut up you fool. What did I just tell you? The same goes for you Narcissa. And don't let Malfoy get all dewy-eyed by the pretty blonde exchange student."

"He wouldn't...that's entirely unconnected! I don't know what you're talking about," Narcissa squeaked.

"He's teasing you, Cissy. It was a joke." Jenelle heard Regulus grunt and stand up from the sofa.

She quickly tapped her temple once and the charm was broken, then tip-toed silently down the dark stone hallway to her room.

 _Sarah needs to know that we have a lot more to worry about then keeping our secret from the school..._


	6. Chapter 6 - Soothing Pride

CHAPTER 6: Soothing Pride at the Table

* * *

Breakfast was going to be interesting, she just knew it.

Despite how surprisingly well things went last night, Sarah wasn't going to hold her breath that everything would somehow be magically better, figuratively speaking that is. The Marauders and the rest of her house, sans Lily, seemed to treat her friendship with Jenelle like it was an exotic, wild animal: fascinating to look at, fun to poke at, but no way in hell would someone ever want it for themselves.

Sirius had also been weird the entire night, getting uncomfortably close in her personal space, making insinuations that she did _not_ want to contemplate. The guy was good looking, no doubt, but it was a type of good looking that was a bit too pretty for her tastes.

Besides, the last thing she wanted was to get attached romantically to someone she would inevitably never see again. Sarah wasn't self-flagrant like that.

She had eventually gone to bed, claiming a headache from her travels, while in reality she had just been very, _very_ , annoyed. Unfortunately going to sleep angry was never a good idea for her and it set the tone for her morning mood in beautiful fashion.

Waking up at the crack of dawn the next morning had been pre-planned; not only did it mean that she would bypass all of her nosy housemates, but it also meant meeting up with Jenelle like they had decided to do last night so they could share any important information they had encountered so far.

As she walked through the doors of the Great Hall she glanced over the room, looking for Jenelle. She sighed quietly in relief as she spied her at the far end, having claimed a corner of a Slytherin table to herself.

Ah, the perks of functioning by six thirty in the morning, barely or not.

She quickly made her way to the end of the tables, plopping herself across from her friend in a graceless motion. Jenelle snorted in amusement.

"You too huh?" she asked.

"Depends," Sarah had her face buried in the table, her answer muffled by the wood. "By that, do you mean did I get the third degree _and_ the Spanish Inquisition from my housemates and wanted to commit murder by the end of it? Because then yes, me too."

"Weeeell, it could have been worse." Jenelle looked shifty-eyed, which instantly put Sarah on guard as she peered upwards.

"...How?" she asked, trepidation dripping from her tone.

"Well, you could have, I don't know," Jenelle looked down at the napkin that she was now tying into nervous knots in her hands, "accidentally got overheard about the TT thing by a student…?"

Sarah's mind blanked for a second as she worked out the acronym, before groaning and rubbing her face into the high-quality mahogany.

She glared up at Jenelle through a curtain of her hair. "Tell me you're joking," she hissed.

"Sorry!"

"Are you shitting me?"

"I'm sorry, Isolt and James above!" Sarah could see that Jenelle was becoming defensive, but she was still too pissed to care.

"Well, that's just fucking great. Who heard?" Sarah sat up and reached for a platter of bacon and eggs. If she was going to deal with this right now, she sure as hell was gonna have protein in her stomach for it.

"Well..."

"God damn it, Jenelle."

"You don't even believe in God!"

"It's a habit! WHO?"

"…Severus Snape."

Sarah's fork froze on the way to her mouth. Slowly, she looked up to stare deadpan into Jenelle's eyes.

"Get out."

"Look, so it's a little bad, I know, bu-"

Sarah's voice had already been at a whisper, but her words were dripping acid for all that they lacked in volume. "Severus. SNAPE, Jenelle. The guy who basically was the turning point of the war against Voldemort, Harry Potter aside. The triple agent. The guy who, according to the history books, _is currently a Death Eater, Severus Snape. THAT Severus Snape?!_ "

Sarah almost went on but stopped when she saw Jenelle's face. Instead, she sighed and gave out a grudging apology.

"Sorry," she muttered. "Just, damn Jenelle, you don't do things by half do you?"

Jenelle swallowed hard and there was a gleam of angry tears in her eyes.

"Forget it," Sarah continued, beginning to eat again. "What do we do about it?"

Jenelle was still a bit peeved with Sarah but seemed to put it aside for now. "He said that he'd keep it to himself, I dunno, maybe we can trust him?" she suggested.

Sarah grimaced, "Look, you know I liked him. Hell, a lot of people did with the whole anti-hero, secretly awesome person that he was, is, whatever. But this is _our_ life now, not a history book, and we can't _fuck it up_ by believing in niceness."

Annnnd now Jenelle was angry again.

" _I'm not an idiot Sarah._ " She glared at her friend who was frankly being an ass, but Sarah just glared right back.

"Then don't do idiotic things, _Jenelle._ " Sarah had stopped eating to look directly in Jenelle's eyes.

Things could have gotten a lot worse, but suddenly Sarah glanced to her right, freezing. Curiosity won over her need to express her seething anger and Jenelle looked as well, spotting a group of boys heading their way with red and gold ties shining dully in the early morning light.

"Ohhhhh no." Sarah hunched her spine and went back to her breakfast, whispering quickly to Jenelle. "Hey, so remember what I said about getting the Spanish Inquisition?"

"Yeah?" Jenelle responded slowly.

"Well if I had to give roles, then the boy in glasses would be the cardinal, and the others would be his pyre-loving zealot groupies."

Jenelle stared at the girl across from her "...what does that even mean?"

"It _means,_ " Sarah growled as the four-man group came closer, "you've gotta be as nice as possible, don't give them _anything_ to hold against you."

And with that warning, Jenelle watched as her friend plastered a big grin on her face and turned to greet the boys.

* * *

"Hey, good morning!"

Remus and the others stood awkwardly near the two girls, not knowing what to do with themselves. Sirius had been obnoxious when waking them up that morning, wanting to start his 'hunt' early. That meant practically stalking poor Waterbrooke so that the prat could woo the knickers off her as soon as possible.

In Remus' opinion though, he thought that perhaps Pads was being especially pushy because the girl had shown a remarkable _lack_ of interest in the popular boy, a feat not copied by many other girls.

That being said, even Sirius was reluctant to sit in uncharted territory, AKA the Slytherin table, just for the sake of a quick tumble. Remus, however, found himself less focused on his friend's unease and more focused on the girl sitting across from Waterbrooke.

It was the first time seeing her up close, and Remus took a few seconds to appreciate the view. She had a kind face, a gentle air about her, and although she looked a little annoyed by their arrival, she seemed to be trying to be hospitable, which was more than could be said for most Slytherins he'd ever known.

Seeing as the others were being reluctant, Remus answered for the Marauders.

"Good morning Waterbrooke. This must be your friend, Montagnard?" he nodded pleasantly towards the other girl, hoping that his voice didn't shake. He wasn't nervous and he did NOT have a puppy-love crush damn it, no matter what James said!

"Yep, although please just call me Sarah. Jenelle, meet some of my new housemates," she pointed to each one in turn.

"That's James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. Guys, this is my _friend_ , Jenelle Montagnard." The emphasis on the word friend had Remus thinking back to last night's conversation. Clearly, as bubbly as she had been, Sarah was someone that would raise hell for people she called her own. It probably would have been impressive to the other Marauders had it not been aimed at someone they thought unworthy.

Remus though was a different story.

He didn't know why, but for some reason he couldn't help but want to know Jenelle Montagnard better, regardless of the fact that his friends couldn't stand her on principle. He wasn't forgetting his 'furry little problem,' either, how could he? He knew that he would probably never find someone for him and inevitably die alone, but he couldn't help it.

He found the blonde to be pretty, so was it so wrong to dream, even for a second, that he could be more than his lycanthropy?

Taking a monumental step for a Marauder, he held out his hand to the girl across the table. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Both girls looked stunned at his actions, but then Sarah's face melted into a small, gentle smile. Remus liked it on the girl immensely more than her previous one; this one seems so much more beautiful in its sincerity. Montagnard was also smiling now, a hint of blush on her cheeks that mirrored his own.

"Nice to meet you too, call me Jenelle, please," she said as she shook his hand. Remus felt a surge of confidence and took it one step further though, holding onto her as she made to pull away and dropping a kiss on her knuckles.

"Jenelle it is," he murmured, his blush a few shades darker. It matched her own.

James must have decided that now would be the perfect time to butt in. Sending a smirk and a raised eyebrow towards Remus, he shouldered past the werewolf and boldly stuck out his hand as well.

"James," he stated simply. Not exactly the friendliest greeting, but it was leaps and bounds better than Remus would have ever expected of him. Perhaps James was for once using the manners his mother had beaten into his thick skull.

Now if only he could do the same when he interacted with Evans, he'd be a golden snitch.

Peter and a reluctant Sirius followed suit, and soon the round of introductions was made.

"Sooo..." Sirius looked impatient, "Sarah, why don't you and your, err, _friend_ , come on over to our table?" He looked pained at having made the offer; Remus was surprised he'd even made it in the first place. He must really want to get under Waterbrooke's skirt...

The two girls looked hesitant, sharing a look between each other. Something important must have passed between them, because they both nodded minutely at each other before Waterbrooke turned back to them.

"Jenelle was just telling me that she was going to meet up with a few of her classmates, why don't I join you guys and we'll do breakfast together some other time?"

Sirius, James and Peter looked infinitely relieved at that, crisis averted. Remus himself couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but he knew it was for the better. Putting those hotheads at the Slytherin table was just asking for disaster.

"Let me know when you're done and heading out, would you?" Waterbrooke said to Montagnard as she got up from the bench.

The blonde nodded. "Will do. Nice to meet you all." She smiled at Remus in particular as she said this, and he felt his heart give a tiny thump in his throat.

"Ah, er, yes, later then," he stumbled over his tongue. Thankfully Peter was there to pull him away by the elbow, or no doubt he would have made an even bigger fool of himself.

* * *

"So which classes are you taking, Waterbrooke?"

The question had been directed at her by an inquisitive Sirius Black as they all took their places far away from Jenelle and the rest of the incoming Slytherins. Sarah had sat down on the bench only to immediately have the space next to her taken by a confident black-haired teen, who was leaning in a bit too close for comfort as he brushed past her to get to the scrambled eggs and sausages on the table.

She reviewed her schedule in her mind as she served herself. "Umm, let's see, Potions, DADA, Transfiguration, Charms, Magic Music, Muggle Music, and Care of Magical Creatures."

James looked slightly taken aback from across the table. "That's, eclectic. What's the deal with all the music classes?"

Feeling both prideful and sheepish, Sarah averted her eyes to her plate while she spoke. "My grandmother was a No-Maj opera singer in her free time, so I guess you could say I wanted to follow in her footsteps."

Sirius took the opportunity to try and stealthily place his hand on the bench on the other side of Sarah, essentially wrapping an arm around her. He leaned in close, hovering a foot or so away from her face. "Really?" he drawled, "you sing? You'll have to give me a private performance soon, I'm sure any song that comes out of your mouth must be stunning."

His sly look had Sarah feeling extremely uncomfortable, but she tried to laugh things off as she leaned a bit more forward and away from him.

"Ah-hah, thanks? Honestly, I don't know if it's something that I'll be able to keep doing though. Things back home are getting, dark. I may have to change my plans for the future soon..."

Her words were enough to change the mood to a more serious setting, and Sarah suddenly remembered that at this point in history, these boys and everyone else in this school had had their fair share of experience with things going dark. They wouldn't know anything about the Scourers in America but Death Eaters were no joke either.

"What do you mean?" a wary Remus asked, peering at her closely.

Sarah instantly tried to backtrack, waving her hands in front of her face. "It's not a European problem, don't worry about it, it's just rumors and random events right now."

Her reassurances did nothing to lessen the looks of worry and fear around her and eventually, it was Peter that asked the real question.

"Is America having issues with a Dark Lord too?"

"No, it's not that!" Sarah shook her head furiously, she knew she shouldn't have said anything, but it had just slipped out.

'Looks like I owe Jenelle an apology; accidentally letting little tidbits escape is, unfortunately, easier than you'd think,' she thought to herself before trying to change the subject.

"Let's just forget I said anything, it's too depressing. Anyway, how about y'all? Are we sharing any classes?" Her attempt to switch topics was glaringly obvious, but luckily for her the Marauders seemed willing to let it go for now.

"Well," Remus started, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing to continue talking. "You've got all of us with you for Potions, Defence, Transfig, and Charms since we're in the same year. But none of us are taking any music courses or Care of Magical Creatures this term. I'm surprised about Herbology though, isn't it one of the core classes?"

 _Aww crap. He noticed._

"Ah, yeah, it is." She smiled nervously, not looking anyone in the eye. "Actually, Ilvermorny has one of the best Herbology curriculums in any magical school." 'What the hell Sarah, shut up!'

"So then, why aren't you taking it?" James asked.

She winced slightly, there it was.

"Umm, because I didn't get the necessary grades for it," she eventually admitted quietly.

The four boys looked shocked, as was expected. "What? How?" Sirius sputtered. He had good reason to though. Herbology, while not exactly a free pass class, was definitely one of the more forgiving and easier ways to achieve an 'Exceeds Expectations' or 'Outstanding.'

Sarah's smile turned self-depreciating. "You ever heard the phrase 'having a green thumb'?" They all nodded.

"Well for me it's more like 'having the touch of death' when it comes to plants. I'm horrible at keeping anything green alive. My professor actually banned me from the class after one too many rare plants committing seppuku."

"But, that's impossible, no one can be that bad!" Ah Peter, always willing and able to state the obvious to her detriment. Sarah hated him a bit more than last night.

"I was once given a snapdragon plant, and within two days it was dead. Apparently, I overfed it to the point that it couldn't take any more."

Remus stared at her, incredulous. "Snapdragons can eat fifty times their bodyweight in flobberworms," he informed her in all seriousness.

She responded the same. "I forgot to count."

James finally broke out into laughter, reaching over the table to shake her hand enthusiastically. "Merlin's arse Waterbrooke, you are a riot, I think we're gonna get on really well."

"Oh joy."


	7. Chapter 7 - Asserting Some Dominance

CHAPTER 7: Asserting Some Dominance

* * *

 _Forget breakfast, this entire day was made to screw with me._

Sarah was grumbling to herself as she made her way to her first class of the day. It could have been any class, a one in seven chance, but of course with her luck her first one had to be potions. And then when the odds were one out of three, _of course_ , it would be a double period with Slytherin.

"If I ever played Russian Roulette, I'd have my brains blown out within the first round," she muttered darkly, not noticing the extremely weirded out look she was getting from Peter Pettigrew.

Breakfast had gone by quickly enough, but the boys had herded her out and away before she could speak with Jenelle. Currently, she and her new posse were heading down into the dungeons, none of them particularly happy about the event. She had actually tried to break away and go with Lily Evans, but the girl had taken one look at James Potter and his peacocking and had left poor Sarah in the dust.

Now, she really didn't have a problem hanging out with guys; a lot of her closest friends at Ilvermorny were guys. What she _did_ have a problem with was just how insistent Black was becoming, not to mention the oddly invasive questions Remus kept throwing at her about Jenelle, as subtle as he tried to be.

She thought it was a little cute, the thing with Remus. He was a sweetheart as far as she could tell, but she wouldn't be giving him anything solid until he had the spine to state his intentions out loud and in front of his friends. Instead, she fielded his questions as vaguely as she could while also glancing side-eyed at Black whenever he got a bit too close for comfort.

By the time they reached the classroom, with about ten minutes to spare, Sarah was getting right tetchy.

Glancing around she spied Jenelle already seated and stepped forward with relief.

"Hey, Waterbrooke!"

Her movement was halted when Black caught her by the arm, looking at her askance. "Where are you off to? We're sitting over _there,_ " he indicated with a jerk of his head to the far back corner where the other Marauders were settling down.

She bristled, looked pointedly where his hand was grasping her wrist but the little jerk just grinned and flexed his grip.

 _Jackass_ she thought, twisting her arm inwards and up in a move that broke his hold. Years later and she still remembered that technique from her old sensei, who would have thought?

"Sorry," she said as she turned away from his shocked face, "I never got to see Jenelle before we left for class and I really need to talk to her. I'll catch up with y'all in a minute, kay?"

Without waiting for a response she glided over to her friend, taking note that the blonde was surrounded by a sea of green and silver. Said sea was looking a bit perilous, judging by the unfriendly looks being sent her way, but Sarah did her best to ignore them.

"Hey Jenelle!" Her tone was cheerful, which seemed to throw off some of the crowd. "Whose all this?"

Jenelle met Sarah's smile with one of her own, gesturing excitedly to three people in particular.

"Hi Sarah," she greeted quickly, "these are some of my housemates. That's Severus Snape, Narcissa Black, and err, sorry, what was your name again?"

Jenelle had paused on the last person, a teen with flowing, platinum hair and an unimpressed look on his face.

"Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy."

 _Nice to meet you too, 007._

Sarah smiled, mostly at her own joke. She turned to Snape, who was gazing at her with barely hidden disdain. "Nice to meet you," she said, surprising those around her as she stuck out her hand for a shake.

Snape looked wary, before tentatively taking her hand in his own, giving it the smallest shake he could get away with before drawing away.

She turned to Narcissa next and couldn't help her next exclamation. "Nice to meet you too, and can I say, you've _got_ to tell me what you use in your hair it's gorgeous!"

Narcissa looked taken aback before returning the compliment with a small nod and a tiny, tentative smile.

Sarah finally moved to the last person in their circle, who was eyeing her suspiciously. Instead of extending her hand, she merely tilted her head to the side and grinned.

"Jenelle's a close friend of mine, I hope that she has a good time while we're here."

Jenelle pushed against her arm, followed by an embarrassed " _Sarah!_ ". Sarah pushed right back but kept her eyes on the blonde boy in front of her. Malfoy had yet to blink, his expression closed off but not quite as condescending as it was a few seconds ago.

Eventually he responded, his words carefully chosen. "We Slytherins take care of our own, Miss Waterbrooke."

"That's good to hear," was all the Asian retorted with.

The strange atmosphere might have continued for much longer, had it not been interrupted in the most unexpected way.

Sarah tensed like an angry, on-edge cat as a sudden heavy weight was dropped across her shoulders. Muscles strained with annoyance, Sarah twisted her neck upwards to see just who the hell was touching her.

She came face to chest with a boy she vaguely remembered seeing last night in the common room. He had quite the look about him, with his puffed-out chest and condescending sneer.

"Can I _help_ you?" Sarah demanded rudely, trying to shrug off his arm without success; he had latched onto her shoulder in a tight, uncomfortable grip.

"More like I'll be helping _you_ , sweetheart," he looked down at her in pity before raising his head to glare around him at the Slytherins, who had instantly closed ranks.

"What are you doing wasting your time with a bunch of tossers and bimbos like them anyway?" he demanded, causing Jenelle and Narcissa to bristle and the two boys to stand. The rest of the room had gone silent, watching things play out.

"You're a _lion_ Waterbrooke, you should act like it, and the first rule of Gryffindor is ' _never trust a snake'_."

"Get off my friend, jerk" Jenelle warned, having yet to draw her wand but looking close to it.

The arrogant teen looked down on her. "Oh please," he scoffed, "like you could do anything to me. Now if you want to do something _for_ me," his expression had shifted to a leer, causing Jenelle's spine to straighten in indignation, "I guess you're not so bad looking for a snake, why don't you come over here an-"

His words were cut off quite quickly, and everyone searched curiously for the reason why. Only the immediate group was able to see Sarah and her wand, drawn and discretely aimed at the space between his legs. She was looking forward and smiling, not even giving him her attention, but everyone could see that she was deathly serious.

"You're Lighthaven correct? I just remembered." Her tone was casual like nothing was out of the ordinary. "You forget that Jenelle and I are Thunderbirds first and foremost, so I can understand why you might be surprised by the way we do things. Let me enlighten you on how Thunderbirds deal out threats."

The now identified Lighthaven had slowly been removing his arm from across Sarah's shoulders, but her next words, hissed low so that only they and the four Slytherins could hear, stopped him cold.

"If you so much as breathe near me or her this year," she prodded just a little harder with her wand and was treated with a high pitched squeak, "I will curse off everything you think makes you a man and shove it so far up your ass you choke on it. And after you asphyxiate, I'll let the healers reattach your balls."

She finally turned to look him dead in the eyes.

"And then I'll do it again."

Lighthaven meeped, while Severus and Malfoy couldn't help but wince in sympathy. The cowed teen practically bolted away from her and the Slytherins to the far corner of the room. Students started clamoring to him, wondering what she had said, but he shrugged off their questions and involved himself in his suddenly _very_ interesting textbook.

"Oh Sarah..." Jenelle breathed, and Sarah shrugged, pocketing Thorin back into her robes.

"So, everyone!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together and startling those around her.

"Who's ready for potions?"

* * *

Horace Slughorn was currently over the moon. Just the other day Headmaster Dumbledore had called for an emergency meeting of all the teaching staff. Amidst stunned gasps and incredulous faces, he had explained to a thoroughly shocked audience just exactly who the two new and completely unexpected students were.

While time travel incidents were quite rare, they were not unheard of. That being said, this particular instance might be the biggest of its kind in all of history, certainly in recent memory! Oh sure there had been the incident back in the 1850's when an unfortunate archeologist in Egypt had actually _fallen_ into the original Pool of Time whilst gathering its precious sands, but that man's situation had been more a question of how _far_ he had been flung back, rather than how long he had stayed.

Lucky for him too, seeing as he had landed somewhere in the mid-1100's and had been mistaken by the local muggles for a heretical, magic-wielding Crusader!

Back to the situation at hand, Horace could not wait to meet his two newest students, destined to potentially be some of the greatest connections he would ever make in his lifetime. After all, how many people could actually say that they had an "in" with the future?

 _Seers aside, of course._

Not that he was planning anything nefarious, mind you. At the end of the day, for all of his scheming and manipulating, Horace was a man of simple pleasures. He was more than happy with receiving the occasional box of high-quality chocolates or getting that particular signed copy of his favorite Quidditch team's photo. He had neither desire nor reason to dabble in things like amassing power like so many other Slytherins got caught up in wishing for.

No, no, for Horace his joy was found in the cultivation of young minds, and the gratitude they beget him later on.

 _And now to see what kind of potential awaits me,_ he thought to himself as he emerged from his potions closet where he had been doing last-minute inventory.

He was met with quite the surprise when he focused his gaze on his class.

 _What in Merlin's name happened while I was preparing?_ he wondered, taking in a small clutch of his Snakes trying to hide their amusement over something and failing. He spied Miss Montagnard looking both abashed and oddly proud, shooting a thumbs up at Miss Waterbrooke on the other side of the room. Waterbrooke was looking directly at him, cheerfully anticipatory.

 _Well, if nothing else, this year should be delightfully interesting._

* * *

Lucius Malfoy couldn't help but acknowledge the smidgen of interest Sarah Waterbrooke had garnered from him.

When the petite girl had first made her way over to the Slytherin side of the classroom, he had braced himself for a belligerent speech about how Slytherin's couldn't be trusted with her friend or some other Marauder-influenced prattle.

As such her friendliness, along with her subtle request to keep an eye out for Montagnard, was completely unexpected, as was her response when dealing with that swaggering blowhard Lucas Lighthaven.

Although crude it had been immensely entertaining, not to mention effective. The mudblood idiot had shot her nervous looks throughout the entire Potions class.

And speaking of, Waterbrooke had shown herself to be quite the deft hand at brewing. She was no genius, that title still belonged to Slytherin's very own Severus, but she had done very well proving that there was a brain behind the veneer of crimson and gold that so many of her housemates lacked.

Waterbrooke and Montagnard were starting to pique his interest, something he hadn't expected.

Lucius had been wondering ever since the two Ilvermorny girls had shown up whether they would prove themselves potentially useful to the Malfoy family and by extension, the Dark Lord. It was an idea that Regulus had come to him with, and he was still considering all his options. Lord Voldemort was always looking for more ways to extend his reach and a potential opening into the untapped wealth of the United States would be just the thing, so long as they had the right connections.

 _Yes,_ he decided as he walked out of the classroom, the lesson finished, ' _I will be keeping a close eye on those two.'_

* * *

That night, Sirius pounced again.

"Well hello, Waterbrooke," he slid up behind the girl while she was doing an assignment in the common room. The area was somewhat buzzing, students bemoaning their workloads or relaxing after dinner; it was the perfect time to make a little small talk.

She startled, turning from where she had been cozied up in one of the armchairs to meet his eyes. "Oh, Sirius, you need somethin'?"

There is was again, that little drawl she sometimes slipped into that Sirius thought of as adorably quaint. "I suppose if you wanted to help me out you'd let me in on what happened today during Potions?" Seeing her pull a face of disgust he chuckled, before wrapping himself around the back of her chair to peer at her from the side.

"Or if you _really_ wanted to help me out," he purred near her ear, "you could free up your schedule some time for a little one-on-one studying."

She lifted an eyebrow at him, looking unimpressed. "It's only Tuesday. You calling yourself dumb?"

 _Ouch, little kneazle's got claws. Good thing I don't mind a girl that likes to scratch._

"Maybe I'm just a little in over my head, but it's all for you, _Sarah,_ " he retorted smoothly. He loved the fact that she had given him free reign over her first name, it made building a more intimate relationship that much easier.

Sarah though continued to defy him when, instead of giggling and caving in, she instead sighed dramatically. "I'd almost rather just talk about that, _person_ , Lighthaven."

 _Person_ , he guessed, was talking the place of a much more colorful word.

"Just what exactly did you say to him, anyway?" Sirius asked curiously. The usually smug toerag had been subdued today and had practically skittered back like an Acromantula when Sarah had come within five feet of him.

Sarah blinked up at Sirius, looking innocent. "I have no idea what you mean, did something happen to him today? I hope he's alright."

Sirius was taken aback for a few seconds before he barked out a laugh, moving to sit next to her in another chair. "You little-, you look like butter wouldn't melt in that little mouth of yours!" he teased. She broke into her own smile, laughing slightly as she shook her head.

"Let's just say he won't be making any unwanted advanced towards me or Jenelle anytime soon, hmm?" she revealed. Sirius sat up a little straighter at that, scowling.

 _That brain-addled hobgoblin, he_ knew _I had already staked my claim! He's gonna get his arsed royally pranked for this._

He was already well into his plotting by the time he realized that Waterbrooke had gotten up to leave. He jumped up to follow her, catching her wrist for the second time that day. She didn't seem to like it just as much as the first time, judging by her attempts to shake him off, which reminded him of one last thing.

"How'd you do that thing this morning in class?" he asked, and the girl stopped trying to break free long enough to send him a questioning look.

"Do what exactly?"

"That thing," he elaborated, "where you just twisted your arm and suddenly 'bam!' free arm!"

His inquiry was enforced when she did the exact thing he had been trying to describe.

She looked at him quizzically. "Doesn't Hogwarts have some kind of self-defense elective?"

"You mean DADA?"

She shook her head. "No, I mean _physical_ defense."

Sirius couldn't comprehend it. "Why the flying bludger would a wizard ever need to know physical defense? Isn't that what shield spells are for?"

 _Now_ Sarah broke out into the giggle he'd been looking for, but he couldn't help but feel it was at his expense rather than due to his charm.

"Guess you're not up to much physical activity then?"

He instantly stepped closer, lowering his voice into a more husky range. "Oh, I am _quite_ skilled at all things physical, Waterbrooke. I could go all night if need be, want me to prove it?"

She looked taken aback as if she hadn't expected him to respond the way he did.

"Um, no," she pushed him away, backing up slowly towards the stairs. "I'm good, thanks. Err, see you tomorrow."

With that, she turned quickly and fled up to the girl's dorms.

Sirius sighed, slightly irritated. _Foiled again!_ he groused, but eventually he smirked towards the open air.

"She definitely wants me."


	8. Chapter 8 - Spectacles and Ailments

CHAPTER 8 - Spectacles and Ailments

* * *

Jenelle was sitting with Sarah in the library, going over the first of their many new assignments for their Hogwarts classes.

It looked like Jenelle was going to struggle with Potions, as usual, and Sarah was going to struggle with Care of Magical Creatures. That wasn't really her fault though, she was allergic to half of the beasts they had to have contact with.

Sarah was sitting across from Jenelle at the heavy oak table that divided the library in two. She was writing with her quill in one hand, and in the other she had a few tissues held up to her nose. They had just returned from their Magical Creatures class before coming to the library, so Sarah was in the heat of her reaction.

Jenelle watched her best friend try her best to stop the incessant leaking from her nose and sighed pitifully.

"Maybe Madam Pomfrey has something to help with that?" she offered.

"Meh, I've already asked. All the magic in the world can't protect me from the stupid little hairs that apparently shoot off a puffskein and attack my nostrils-" Sarah raised her head and covered her whole face with her hands as a enormous sneeze came screaming out of her. The library went dead silent for a moment and she got a few very disapproving sneers from some neighboring Ravenclaws.

She looked back down at Jenelle with a defeated expression and bowed her head.

"I'm napping," she stated groggily, then proceeded to clunk her forehead on the table and cover herself with her house robe.

"You do that sweetness," Jenelle replied, patting the groaning Asian on the head as she got up to go look for some books she would need to complete her assignment.

She was lazily drawing her fingertips over some potions volumes down a nearby aisle. They were not the sort of books that caught her attention.

Magical Drafts and Potions, Potions for the Modern Witch and Wizard, Perfecting your Potions Practice.

'Ugh. I'm sleepy just looking at these.'

Deciding that procrastination was a truly a virtue in the face of such overwhelming boredom Jenelle turned from the shelf and went in search of something that would peak her interest.

She squeezed by other students who were absentmindedly doodling in their notebooks, or transfiguring their quills into playing cards. She almost tripped over a lounging Hufflepuff who was splayed out in their chair with an open book balanced precariously on his face.

"Oomph!" Jenelle grunted, as she ran into someone coming out from behind the next aisle. "I'm so sorry!"

"Heh, it's alright. I don't need that finger I guess," the deeper voice responded.

Jenelle looked up and saw a pair of light brown eyes staring back at her under a mop of dirty blonde hair.

"Oh! Lupin! I didn't see you. Are you alright?" Jenelle sputtered. Remus was rubbing his pinkie finger tenderly while holding a few larger texts to his chest.

He smiled at her and she could feel her chest tighten a smidge. Just a smidge.

"Heh, I'm alright. It'll take more than a jammed finger to bring me down." Remus stopped fiddling with his hand and wrapped his arms over the books. "Taking a tour of Hogwarts' finest I see?" he asked, nodding towards the sleeping Hufflepuff who was now slack jawed and drooling on the book that had slid down to his shoulder.

Jenelle laughed audibly, then rushed to cover her mouth from the noise as Remus shushed her. The both stifled their giggles as the student started to snore loudly and was jolted awake by his own grunts.

Remus almost dropped his books for trying so hard to control his laughter and Jenelle patted his shoulder and pointed down the hall in an effort to remove them from the toxically funny atmosphere.

The two of them walked down the aisle beside the windows until they found an unoccupied corner where they could finally relieve their aching stomach muscles. Remus set his books down on the small desk that jutted out perpendicular to the window and collapsed in the chair. Jenelle did the same opposite him, wiping away the tears that had gathered around the rims of her eyes.

"Hogwarts' finest indeed," she sighed happily.

"We aim to impress," Remus added.

Jenelle looked at the boy sitting across from her and smiled. There was an awkward pause where Jenelle didn't know what to say next. She looked about and settled on the books that Remus had placed on the table.

"'Full Moons and Spectacles - A Modern Telling'. Have some Astronomy homework I take it?" Jenelle asked.

Remus paled and quickly gathered the books over to him, turning them over on the table. "It's nothing!" he insisted, "Just something I'm helping James with. He isn't the most disciplined student as I'm sure you were able to gather from your first few run-ins."

Jenelle stared wide eyed Remus but went along with the explanation. "Yeah. Right, Sarah mentioned he already tried to coax her into helping him write his Potions essay."

Remus hesitated. "Does Sarah tell you everything we talk about?"

"Everything? Well, I'm not sure. The funny things anyway," Jenelle smiled complacently, "though I'm sure she leave out some juicy details. Why, do you all talk about me?" She leaned forward with her chin resting in her hand.

Wow, Jenelle. Laying it on thick. She could hear Sarah's voice in her head.

"What? No! Well, I mean it's not that we never do. That's to say, the topic has come up before…" It seemed the boy was struggling to overcome about twenty different emotions at once. Jenelle giggled and reached out across the table to pat the back of his hand.

"It's fine, Lupin, I'm just teasing," she offered gently.

"Remus," he said, a touch of red kissing his cheeks, "Please. Call me Remus."

Jenelle smiled. "Remus, of course. Sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for."

"So," Jenelle struggled to keep the conversation going so she wouldn't be caught staring starry eyed at the famous (and handsome) young Gryffindor, "You don't mind that you may be seen with a slimy Slytherin?"

"Someone called you slimy?" Remus asked shocked.

"Not yet, but I'm ready for it. It seems I was sorted into a famously hated house."

"I wouldn't say hated…"

"You're too kind-"

"Abhorred, maybe."

Jenelle scoffed goodnaturedly and leaned back, crossing her arms. Remus laughed and threw his hands up defensively. They continued to chat and quip with each other for an immeasurable amount of time. Jenelle asked about professors to avoid and foods that were worth trying at dinner. Remus asked about Ilvermorny and Jenelle's interest in Alchemy and wandless magic.

They laughed and whispered and for a few blissful moments Jenelle caught glimpses of what she hoped was more than just a passing interest from the boy's expressions.

"There you are! Were you going to just let me sleep all day in the middle of the library?" Sarah asked, coming around the corner. She stopped short upon seeing the two of them seated at the desk and took a few careful steps backward.

"Oooh my bad. You're busy. Nevermind me, I'll just be...uh, over here. Studying..." she pulled a random book from the closest shelf and glanced at the cover, "...'Ailments of the Nether Regions: A Beginners Guide to Sexual Educa-'"

She turned a brilliant shade of fuschia and made a noise that Jenelle didn't think she had ever heard come out of her.

"RIGHT. I'm leaving. Leaving now. Jenelle, I'll see you...somewhere- GOODBYE."

In a flash she was gone, her black robes whipping behind the edge of the bookcase and the distant grunt of a student that Jenelle was sure had the unfortunate luck to be in her stampeding path.

Remus and Jenelle glanced at each other with hesitant grins and then Jenelle rose from her seat.

"I should, probably go see her," she started, "I'm sure she forgot her things at the table in her rush out of here."

"Yes, of course. I need to, uhm, see Sirius about some Charms things." Remus sputtered, getting up and pushing in his chair.

"Don't forget your books."

"Ah, don't worry. I don't think I'll have the time to worry about those tonight," the boy looked pleased with himself and followed Jenelle toward the front of the library. Jenelle stopped by the table to gather her things and politely turned down Remus' offer to help her carry Sarah's things back to the dorm, insisting she would be there in a bit.

"It was nice to get a chance to talk with you Jenelle," he whispered in the hush of the library. "I hope we get the chance to do it again soon."

"Me too," Jenelle smiled, "See you later, Remus."

Remus grinned and waved, then walked out the front archway flanked by heavy wooden doors. Jenelle watched him leave, standing with one fist clutched to her chest before settling in the closest chair. As quietly as she could she fluttered her feet up and down on the tile floor and pumped her fists in happy shakes against her stomach.


	9. Chapter 9 - A Very Particular Set of

CHAPTER 9 - A Very Particular Set of Skills...

* * *

It was finally time for Sarah's favorite class: Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Their professor for this year, a serious, stern looking man by the name of Professor Rombula, started the class with little fanfare.

"Each of you are here," his onyx eyes pierced into each of his students down to the soul, "because you achieved the required O.W.L.'s in order to advance into knowledge and spells not found in any other class. Your sixth year will be focused on topics both challenging and unnerving, and I expect every single one of my students to treat this class with the forbearance it deserves."

His tone made it clear that he would not allow for any hijinks. Slightly intimidating, but Sarah was still more than eager to start with the learning.

The professor continued, seemingly satisfied that the class had gotten his message.

"Our curriculum will consist four main topics: nonverbal magic, a revision of three staple spells, levicorpus, expelliarmus, and stupefy by implementing nonverbal magic, Dementors and Inferi, and finally, Unforgivable Curses."

The classroom stirred both excitedly and with discomfort. The Unforgivables were the hot topic of the times, and most people couldn't decide whether they wanted to learn more about them or deny their existence. A glare from their professor stopped the murmuring in its tracks though.

"These four topics are the standards for all sixth year Hogwarts students, and I would think that with the current political climate, they are all things that need to be discussed and understood."

There was chastised silence. Rombula moved on.

"Now," he began, looking down at a parchment within his hands. "You Gryffindors are in an extremely lucky position for beginning nonverbal magic, as we have one person here who is already quite familiar with the subject and is in fact, perhaps, beyond it. Miss Waterbrooke?"

Sarah was taken aback. She had no idea how to respond to the flood of eyes that were now attached to her person.

"Um, yes sir?" she spoke up slowly.

Professor Rombula smiled slightly at her. "Miss Waterbrooke, if you would be so kind, please inform the class the standard age that students at Ilvermorny begin learning wandless magic."

 _Ohhh_.

"Officially? Eleven sir, but most people aren't able to master their first wandless spell until around their fifth year." Her words caused a torrent of whispers. Next to her, James was looking at her like she was the coolest thing since Quidditch was first invented.

"And why is it that students at Ilvermorny study wandless magic from such a young age in the first place, Miss Waterbrooke?" the professor led.

She gazed around the class before answering as clearly as she could.

"Well, up until the sixties at Ilvermorny students were required to leave their wands on school grounds any time they left for the holidays. So students had no choice but to improve their skills without wands at home, which included both nonverbal and wandless casting. Ilvermorny supported this by requiring classes starting in your first year that focused on both subjects."

"Nowadays that old rule is gone but the classes and the pressure to be able to do wandless or nonverbal magic still exist."

Everyone looked fascinated, looking between her and the professor as if waiting for him to either deny or validate her story.

"Correct, Miss Waterbrooke," Professor Rombula acknowledged as he began waving his wand at the blackboard behind him. Words written in white chalk and a slanted, severe font appeared upon the surface of the board, many of which matched Sarah's statement.

"Unlike Hogwarts" he lectured, "Ilvermorny does not teach its students to rely solely on their incantations nor their wands. It is a practice that makes casting for Ilvermorny students increasingly more difficult as the years go by, but a student that can master a spell to the point that they no longer need their words or even a wand as a channeling focus will often find the spell to come quicker and more powerfully, and that," he emphasized, "is what we will be learning with some of the most basic spells in a witch or wizard's arsenal."

"How many spells would you say you can cast without the need of an incantation, Miss Waterbrooke?" he asked Sarah, and she quickly starting reviewing in her head, before remembering something important.

"Well," she began slowly, "my situation is slightly different because of my wand, Sir."

That caused even her teacher to stop short, glancing at her to continue.

"My wand is an alder wand you see. Alder is especially geared towards non-verbal spells, so I've got a bit of a bigger pool than some."

"Not that many!" she hastily added, seeing the incredulous looks around her, "It's just that my wand actually supports learning nonverbal magic more by being a jerk and making it harder from the very beginning."

"Interesting, Miss Waterbrooke," her professor replied, "and an interesting foray into the study and the effects of wandlore, but as you were saying?"

"Ah, yes, umm," she did a quick mental calculation. "All the basic spells through fourth year," Sirius gaped at her when she said this.

"And wandless?"

"...seven? That's all," she finished lamely. She was feeling a bit antsy due to everyone still staring at her, and she added defensively, "It's not that big a deal, everyone learns this stuff."

Rombula looked amused. "I think you'll find that it's quite a big deal at Hogwarts, Miss Waterbrooke, but," he addressed the class again, "she brings up a good point."

"Since you are all beginning so late in the game as it were, I don't expect any of you to master nonverbal casting of levicorpus, expelliarmus, and stupefy until the end of the year. It will be an ongoing process, so keep in mind that all things take time and don't get put out if you see a lack of progress in the beginning, understand?"

He received grudging nods.

"As for wandless casting, that is something that will not be taught as a part of your curriculum at all, so put it out of your minds for now. Does everyone understand? Good."

"Let's begin."

* * *

James raced to catch up with Waterbrooke, who had beat a hasty retreat as soon as class had finished and had rushed out of the room before anyone could stop her. Behind him, James could hear the footsteps of the other Marauders keeping pace with him as they ran her down, catching her at the Middle Courtyard.

"Woah, Waterbrooke, where's the fire!?" he called out anxiously. Luckily she slowed down at his shout, allowing the four of them to catch up finally. The sun was setting behind them, and the light streaming in between the stone archways around them cast long shadows at their feet.

She sighed before turning around to face them. She looked like she was trying to play off being unaffected, but James could tell that she was embarrassed.

"Sorry about that, guys," she apologized stiltedly, "I just didn't feel like getting mobbed on my way out you know?"

"With good reason though," Remus looked impressed as he took her in. He was studying her in a new light, as were James and the others. "Why didn't you mention that you could do wandless magic? Do you have any idea how unheard of that is?"

"Again, it's kinda par for the course where I'm from," she retorted. "Come on guys, it's not a big deal. I mean, if you want to talk about impressive, you should see Jenelle when she throws up her _protego_ , now _that's_ legit!"

 _Huh_? James had never heard that word used in that context before, but apparently Sirius had.

"There's that word again," Sirius pointed out as he gazed at her oddly, "I'm guessing it means 'amazingly noteworthy in a way that defies all logic'?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, let's go with that."

James forced the conversation back on track. "But, but wandless casting, Waterbrooke! That stuff only happens with accidental magic or really powerful wizards!" He only wished he could pull something like that off; imagine all the pranks the Marauders could get away with if they could cast completely silently and without the obvious motions of a wand!

"You're not gonna leave me alone about this, are you?"

Sirius and James both moved to flank her, throwing an arm around her waist and her shoulders respectively and ignoring her protests.

James shook her lightly. "Oh Sarah, may I call you Sarah? You said we could, remember? Anyway, as an Ilvermorny transfer, I'm guessing you didn't know that every student at Hogwarts has to go through an initiation rite before they can be considered a true Gryffindor!"

"Why do I get the feeling that you're lying out your rear end?"

"We would never, Waterbrooke!" Sirius protested, looking appalled that she would even suggest such a thing. "James is simply talking about how each Gryffindor must offer up one valuable skill to their classmates to share before they can be truly accepted as family."

"Such lie. Much untruth."

James pushed past the grammatically incorrect protest like a true Marauder, while Remus and Peter watched on in anticipation. "So! All you have to do to be one of the best of the best, is simply teach us how you do it!"

"No."

James blinked, nonplussed, then tried again.

"Aww, Sarah," he wheedled, leading her off to a nearby bench and forcing her to sit down as they stood in front of her. "You probably don't know it, but us four," he made a sweeping motion to his friends, "We're known as the Marauders: pranksters extraordinaire, the most happening cats to ever grace the halls of Hogwarts, people would kill to hang out with us!"

"Mmm, good thing I'm not a murderer."

"Hah! Gotcha there, Prongs."

"Shut it, Pads, you're not helping," he hissed from out the corner of his mouth before focusing once more on the uncooperative girl in front of him. The one that looked like she was contemplating breaking his nose to get away.

 _Yeesh. American birds were so violent_!

"Come on, Sarah!"

"I take it back. Just call me Waterbrooke."

 _Harsh_!

She seemed to be thinking deeply now though, so James decided to keep his mouth shut while she worked through her thoughts. Finally, she looked like she had come to a decision.

"How about a trade?" she offered, and Sirius, twat that he is, immediately threw himself down beside her, smiling in a way he only thought was rakishly good-looking. James would know, seeing as he had perfected the look long before Sirius.

"A trade? If you wanted a date all you had to do was say so, sweetheart!"

"Sirius Black, I will cause you harm if you do not back up," Pads proceeded to do just that, glaring at James and the others when they broke out into snickers.

"As I was saying, a trade," she stared solemnly at him, and James knew that whatever she was going to ask for, it wasn't going to be pleasant.

"...what do you want?" he demanded dubiously.

"Not that much actually."

Somehow, he doubted that.

"All I want is for y'all to give Jenelle an honest chance: no snide remarks, no prejudice preset in your little brains, no nothing. Clean slate, you hear? You do that, and I suppose I wouldn't mind giving you guys some pointers this weekend. And hey, all goes well? Maybe we'll set it up to be a repeating thing. What do you think?"

James thought about it. On one hand, _eww_ a Slytherin? But on the other, limitless pranking opportunities!

 _Besides_ , he thought as he stole a quick glance at Remus, who was doing his best not to appear invested in their decision, _I guess we can bite the lemon if it means that Moony might just learn how to not be such a bowtruckle in the mud._

He checked with Peter, who reluctantly nodded, before turning to get the final confirmation from Sirius. Padfoot didn't look happy, but even he couldn't deny the pull of wandless magic it seemed, for eventually he just shrugged his shoulders.

James turned to the waiting girl in front of him, and stuck out his hand.

"You've got yourself a deal, Waterbrooke."


	10. Chapter 10 - Late Night Meetings

CHAPTER 10 - Late Night Meetings in Two Parts

* * *

"So, I'm going to come at you and you're gonna try and stun me."

"That doesn't sound so hard."

"No incantation."

"That... sounds harder."

"You bet it does and just a heads up, if I reach you, you're getting punched."

"Wait, wha-?"

"So yeah, just do what I said and visualize. Go!"

"ACK!"

In Sirius' humble opinion nonverbal practice was going positively swimmingly.

It was Saturday and the Marauders, plus Waterbrooke and Montagnard, were in an empty classroom that they had gotten permission to use from Professor Rombula. James had whined that going through official channels was way too boring compared to just sneaking out somewhere, but the Ilvermorny girls had been adamant on the point.

Waterbrooke had wanted assurances that she and her friend would not be spending their first month of school up to their eyeballs in detentions; little did she know that he and the others had done much worse over the years and had practically gotten off scot-free.

Ah well, they'd have to make up for their unnatural rule-abiding with something nefarious at a later date.

The boys had gone in not knowing what to expect. It was understandable, considering that they were going to attempt something insanely advanced that Hogwarts barely skimmed on.

Still, as Sirius watched his friend writhe dramatically on the ground, Waterbrooke standing over him with a completely exasperated look, he mused that this was certainly much more entertaining than he could have ever hoped for.

"Flaming quaffles Waterbrooke what are you, a miniature giant? That hurt!"

"Oh don't be such a baby, that was barely a tap."

"You call that a tap!? I- my ribs woman, my bleeding ribs!"

"Welp, guess that gives you a good incentive to learn quickly, then."

"Bloody hell, I don't know if this is worth it anymore..."

"Too late. Go!"

"NoooOOO!"

Sirius decided that his mate could use a little encouragement. "Oi, Prongs, I do believe that running away is detrimental to achieving your goal."

"Go choke on a treacle tart, you useless block of...uselessness!"

"Focus!" _Thump._

"Oww! Waterbrooke!"

"Scathing, that was," Remus stated from his position next to Sirius. The two of them were working on casting a nonverbal levicorpus on each other while James and Peter had their turn with the girls.

Montagnard was working with Wormtail while Waterbrooke was in the middle of tortu-teaching James, and the differences between the two and their methods were like night and day. Montagnard was gently coaxing Peter to try wingardium leviosa on a conjured throw cushion with slow progress.

"Come on Peter," she soothed, "you've gotta visualize what you want, you can't get caught up in old habits."

Peter was looking thoroughly confused. "But, but I am!" he insisted, "I'm visualizing as hard as I can!"

Montagnard shook her head. "I can still see your lips twitching, you're mouthing the words subconsciously."

 _Huh_. Sirius reviewed the last few minutes of his own practice, and realized that he'd been making the exact same mistake. Judging by the look of clarity that was dawning on Moony, he'd been doing the same.

"Time out! Time out time out time out!" James made a T-sign with his hands, causing Sarah to cease advancing on him. "Why didn't you tell me I was doing that?" James demanded at the impatient-looking girl in front of him.

"Took you long enough to notice."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"You wouldn't have been doing it in the first place if you had been focusing more on _attacking_ me, rather than running like a hare from a hound." Her answer was hilariously merciless. "Learning the way I'm teaching you prepares you to defend yourself in the event of an attack. If you can't do it in a controlled setting, what makes you think you'll be able to pull it off in real life?"

"But why can't I just learn like Montagnard and Peter!?" James jabbed a finger towards the two calmer practitioners, who were doing their best to ignore all the noise.

Waterbrooke gave James a smile that was all things cheerful and evil. "Because it's more fun for me this way!"

 _Damn it but I'm really starting to like this bird_ , Sirius mused.

He cracked up at his friend's dumbfounded face; it wasn't often that someone was able to so completely stun Prongs.

 _Alright_ , he decided to himself as Waterbro-Sarah, went on the attack again.

 _Maybe this bunny's worth getting to know a little more than I had originally planned_.

* * *

"Hot damn that was therapeutic," Sarah sighed happily as she and Jenelle were walking towards the Slytherin common room entrance late after practice had ended.

The whole evening had been surprisingly fun overall for Sarah.

Her tormenting James reminded her of older, better times between herself and her brothers, back when they had gotten along more. She really did like James despite how much she got a kick out of harassing him. It was a loving, cats and dogs play-fighting sort of harassment.

Remus she had taken it easy on, much to James' indignation and calls for favoritism.

Peter had been an absolute failure, so they had resolved that he would be skipping her more, forceful, teaching methods for the time being.

The slightly awkward time had occurred when she had been paired with Sirius, who just wouldn't stop hitting on her! It had gotten to the point that she had refused to even get near him, much less touch him. Instead she had switched gears and started throwing nonverbal stunners at his head; 'learning through example', she had called it, ignoring his wounded puppy look.

Apparently the lesson's underlying message hadn't gone through his thick skull though, because when they had broken apart for the night Sirius had tried to accompany them, or rather had tried to accompany Sarah.

Luckily, he had been pulled along by his friends. James especially was nursing a grudge from the bruising his ego had suffered, muttering under his breath the entire time they had walked away from each other.

The thing that Sarah had especially noticed though was the lingering gaze that one Remus Lupin had left with, his head turning back to glimpse at Jenelle no less than three times.

She just had to poke.

"Sooo….."

Jenelle looked immediately on-guard with a side glance at Sarah.

"What is it Sarah" the blonde demanded, and Sarah grinned cheekily.

"What was going on between you and tall, blonde, and gentlemanly? 'Cause if you think for a sec that I didn't see you two canoodling during your practice session together you're so wrong."

"We- we were not canoodling!" Jenelle's eyes were blown wide, but Sarah could see the beginnings of a rosy blush in her cheeks.

"Denial!" she exclaimed gleefully, causing her friend to roll her eyes.

"Sure, Sarah, whatever," the taller girl huffed, trying to play things cool. Sarah could have sworn she saw the corners of the blonde's lips turn up in a smile.

"If anything," Jenelle attempted to change topics, "what was up with you and Black?"

Sarah pulled a face. "Ugh, that guy. He's been that way ever since our first conversation, freakin' weirdo."

Jenelle laughed, apparently able to see something Sarah couldn't.

"I think it's sweet, if a little pathetic," she teased much to Sarah's dismay. "You should go for it!"

"Umm, no?"

"Why not! That boy's plenty good looking, girl."

"Meh, too pretty."

" _Moll Dyer_ Sarah, you are so picky."

"It's not being picky if I don't want to hook up with a guy that's slept in more girl's beds than their own stuffed animals."

"Who said anything about hooking up?" Jenelle shook her head, "Geez Sarah, I'm not saying jump in bed with the guy, just maybe let him take you out on a date is all!"

"Again, no thanks."

They had finally reached the Slytherin entrance by the time they had finished bickering good-naturedly; it was supposed to be a secret from non-Snakes but of course for Sarah, Jenelle had broken that particular rule quite quickly.

Giving each other a hug, Sarah waved goodnight as the stone wall closed up after the retreating figure of her friend. Sighing, she turned and prepared to make the long trek back to the Gryffindor tower.

Or at least, that had been the plan, until she ran almost face first into someone's chest.

Sarah meeped and jumped back, a rushed "I'm so sorry!" falling from her lips.

"Sarah?"

"Lily?"

Sarah focused her gaze on the person in front of her. Indeed, it was Lily Evans, and next to her was Severus Snape, gazing at her guardedly.

"What are you doing out here so late, Sarah?" Lily lectured, looking stern. "It's against the rules!"

"Ah, no no!" Sarah waved her hands in front of her face. "I got permission! Professor Rombula let me and Jenelle and a couple of others rent out a classroom for some extra DADA practice!"

"You invited Montagnard?" Snape seemed slightly disbelieving, and Sarah tried not to let it get to her.

"Yeah, we were helping a couple of my classmates with nonverbal spellwork, since Ilvermorny has more practice with it."

Lily's eyes sparkled in excitement. "You're running an afterschool club for nonverbal spell-casting?" she demanded eagerly. "Can anyone join in? Who all are you tutoring now?"

 _Oooh, they might not like this. Might as well rip off the dressing and hope there isn't too much blood._

"Okay, first of all, it's not a club, but you two are more than free to join if you want." Now both of them looked vaguely surprised, like they hadn't expected her to extend the offer outside of Gryffindors.

 _Jeez, who do they think I am, Judgy McJudge-Judge?_

"As for the people we're teaching… well look," she tried to be as honest as she could while still rushing. "It wasn't even my idea, they just cornered me and demanded that I teach them and I didn't want to at all but then I figured that 'hey, maybe I can use this to preemptively get them to not be jerks to Jenelle' so I said 'sure' but-"

Snape cut in before she could say more. "Merlin above, girl, just spit it out."

"It's the idiot quartet."

Snape's eyes iced over while Lily just slapped a hand onto her forehead.

"Oh course those buffoons would pester you," she muttered, looking quite agitated. Sarah tried to sooth the feathers that were obviously ruffled for both students.

"Look, if you want to join like I said, you're more than welcome," she looked Snape directly in the eyes.

"The both of you."

Snape just sneered, crossing his arms. "Like I would ever waste my time with something that those fools considered valuable."

Sarah frowned. "Hey now," she argued, "say what you will about, well at least about James and Sirius, those two've got the combined attention span of a dead-brained squirrel." That at least got her a giggle from the girl and a raised eyebrow from Mr. Grump.

She continued, "But don't knock out a valuable skill like nonverbal casting practice just because you don't like the people in the study group. Besides, they can all go suck a lemon if they want to raise hell about it. Being a Slytherin doesn't matter to me."

Lily was smiling proudly at her for some reason.

"I keep forgetting," she whispered, turning her head to look fondly at Snape. "You're basically the only other person at Hogwarts that knows what it's like having a best friend in an opposite house." Snape was returning her look with one of equal feeling, before catching himself and steeling his face.

He turned to Sarah and unexpectedly gave her a respectful dip of his head.

"I appreciate your offer, Waterbrooke." he said calmly. "Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be taking you up on it anytime soon but it was, kind of you to extend an invitation either way."

Sarah returned his sincerity with an honest smile. "Not a problem, I know that saying that you two don't get along with the Marauder's is an understatement, but I hope that we at least can still be friends, or at the very least civil."

Snape spent a few seconds measuring her silently, before responding. "Perhaps we can have a discussion on why exactly you felt the need to ingratiate yourself within their ranks at a later date," was all he promised, but it was enough for Sarah.

"Sounds like a plan, I'm looking forward to it."


	11. Chapter 11 - To Duel or Not to Duel

CHAPTER 11 - To Duel or Not to Duel

There wasn't a lot of time left for Jenelle to consider what extracurricular activities she wanted to join at Hogwarts. The deadline for new members was quickly approaching and spaces were filling up fast.

 _These are the sort of things I worry about? I'm so painfully dull._

She knew that Sarah had already volunteered her to be a teaching assistant to the Marauders for the foreseeable future, to aid in their strange infatuation with non-verbal spells, (Jenelle thought it was just a party trick really).

So part of her free time would be spent in empty castle classrooms or the dusty Shrieking Shack, gently coaxing the easily frustrated teenagers into levitating pieces of furniture.

A lot of time would be spent on assignments and classwork. She also needed well deserved alone time to sketch and write and have some peace and quiet (one of the reasons she was so happy to be housed in Slytherin, where students gave each other a lot of breathing room).

But she should do something club related if only to bolster her friend circle and have something to show for her time in this strange and unusual circumstance she and Sarah had found themselves in.

 _Also because I secretly want to I guess, if I'm being honest with myself._

There was one thing she had considered, but she wasn't sure how Sarah would take it.

The dueling club was always accepting new members and Jenelle had put off applying until she got Sarah's input.

"Why the hell not? I think that would be great for you!" Sarah spouted between bites of her dinner.

"Yeah? I'm not sure. I'm not really the biggest fan of fighting and competition," Jenelle sulked.

"Or conflict in general…" she heard Sarah say under her breath.

Jenelle sighed. "No, you're right. I'm a little wimpy when it comes to fighting. I just thought…" she trailed off, unsure of how to explain her desire since it was still unclear to herself.

"You know Jen, there isn't anything wrong with breaking out of your shell. You don't have to own a persona just because it's been your go-to for a certain length of time." Sarah waved her fork around pointedly as she spoke. She always made her advice sound like the most obvious thing on the planet.

 _And thank Isolt for that, otherwise I'd never listen to her._

"We're supposed to be trying new things! We're in school and testing our boundaries and I, for one, think it would be kick-ass if you took up dueling. Then we could study to be Aurors together and be the most unsuspecting power duo MACUSA's ever seen!" Sarah continued enthusiastically.

"Who's taking up dueling?" Jenelle heard James' chipper voice call out from down the table. The Marauder boys were on their way to sit with Sarah and Jenelle. The girls had decided to swap houses for meals so that neither could accuse the other of preferential treatment. Tonight was a Gryffindor dinner.

"Hi!" Sarah called out, waving the boys over, "you guys are just in time to help me push Jenelle over the finish line. She's just a hair's length away from signing up for the dueling club."

"DO IT!" was James' predictable response.

"I knew there was a fearful Hungarian Horntail under that innocent exterior," Sirius jabbed, taking his place sitting a little too close to Sarah. She returned the favor with a well-placed elbow to the ribs.

"It can be dangerous you know…" Peter added quietly, taking a seat on the other side of Jenelle.

"I know, that's part of my hesitation," Jenelle sighed, "I'm not very...sturdy."

"Of course you are-"

"Don't be silly-"

Both Sarah and Remus replied at the same time, before exchanging knowing glances with each other like they were part of some secret club. Everyone laughed and Jenelle took a drink from her goblet, setting it carefully back down on the table.

"It would be a shame to put your impressive skills to waste. I've heard your fellow Slytherins boasting about you in the halls. And think about what good it could do for the others in the club!" Remus added ardently, "We could all use some extra practice in defending ourselves, with things as they are…"

The mood at the table grew quiet for a moment. Sarah and Jenelle shared uneasy looks with each other. They knew without speaking that the dangers that faced their newfound friends were more serious than they could possibly imagine.

When Jenelle thought about it that way, maybe she did have something to offer the students of the dueling club, if only for their own protection.

"Alright," she started as all eyes grew wide around her, "I'll sign up."

"Brilliant Montagnard! You'll smash the competition. And we'll all come to watch you compete, right mates?" Sirius egged on.

"Compete?!" Jenelle swallowed hard.

"Of course! The duelers have little mock performances of their skills a few times a year in front of the professors and students. It's not nearly as popular as Quidditch games," Sirius clapped hands with James before he continued, "but it's still a riot to see your fellow housemates get thrown around and turned into ferrets."

"Ferrets!?" Jenelle felt nauseous.

"For the love of- Sirius, shut up!" Sarah gave him a hard thump on the forearm which sent a wailing Sirius cowering into James who held him tenderly and pouted at Sarah with an incredulous look. Sarah rolled her eyes so hard Jenelle was afraid she had been possessed.

"Don't listen to them Jen, you'll be fine." And as usual, Sarah was the final word on the matter for Jenelle.

"Right. I can do it," was all the blonde could say.

"And you'll be among friends," Peter added with a smile. "Remus is in the club too, right Moon - ah, I mean, Remus?"

Jenelle turned her head so hard and fast she blasted poor Peter with a faceful of blonde ponytail.

"You are?"

Remus blushed slightly and adjusted the tie around his neck. "Well, yeah. For a few years now."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"He didn't want to be the only reason you joined I gather," James said with a wink and a smirk. Sarah leaned forward and shot him a terrifying glare. Sirius held up his hand with a smug grin and nodded knowingly.

"I got this Waterbrooke," and he proceeded to smack James in the forehead with the back of his hand, knocking the young Gryffindor off the bench onto the floor.

"Sirius! Merlin's beard, I can't find my glasses! NO! Don't help. You'll just step on them…"

Sarah was stifling her laughter and looking across the table at Jenelle.

"Do it. Do it do it do it!" she whispered intensely.

"I am! Yikes, I am, it's settled."

"Right! Okay boys, time to practice," Sarah concluded, rapping her hands against the table. "Gather your things, let's go!"

"But we just sat down!" Remus complained.

"I didn't get to eat a single thing," Peter said sadly.

 _Crunch!_

"SIRIUS! I SAID NOT TO HELP!"


	12. Chapter 12 - Staking a Claim

CHAPTER 12 - Staking a Claim

Peter Pettigrew had a problem, and that problem he decided went by the name of Sarah Waterbrooke.

Over two weeks had passed since the beginning of the school year since she and her Slytherin friend had appeared literally out of thin air. In that short amount of time, both had done their best to integrate themselves into Hogwarts and make friends.

That was completely natural, but what Peter took extreme offense to was that the small, feisty Asian had decided to leech herself onto his group of friends.

The first few weeks of school was supposed to be when the Marauders would reassert themselves as the top dogs of their classmates, and to be fair it wasn't like they hadn't. James had ruled the athletes, Remus the intellectuals and duelists, and Sirius the women and outcasts.

It wasn't as if Peter could lead others in Herbology or Healing, but he was talented enough to sometimes get a compliment from a professor and even get special preferential treatment from Madam Pomfrey.

This was a time when the Marauders could revel and be only with each other, and it all helped Peter to remember that his place beside them was valued and wanted.

But things had changed.

James persistent pining for Evans had been expected; the poor blighter was getting more and more desperate every year for the redhead to finally look his way with something other than disgust and exasperation.

It was Sirius and Remus drifting away that had thrown Peter so off-kilter. Remus would sometimes flitter off into daydreams in a way that was completely unlike the usually focused and studious boy. But whenever Peter inquired as to his mind, Remus would refuse to speak on his thoughts.

He had his suspicions though, with the way the werewolf could sometimes be caught staring in the direction of the Slytherin dining table during meals.

Sirius was caught up in chasing tail, nothing surprising there. The real surprise was that whenever Peter watched Sirius flirt with and pester Waterbrooke, there was the faintest glimmer of respect and fondness starting to develop in the dark-haired boy's gaze.

In all the time that Peter had known Sirius the black-haired heartthrob had always preferred the 'capture and release' style of hooking up; simple and easy, mess-free, and not a single whiff of attachment. So the fact that Sirius was putting forth the amount of effort he was in a girl that seemed to regard him as more of an annoying fly than a potential snogging partner was unusual, to say the least.

Perhaps it wouldn't have bothered him so much if everything had happened more gradually, but things had moved at a terrifyingly fast pace for Peter. His mates still included him in everything they did, that hadn't changed, but the signs were there and he wasn't the only one to notice.

The Marauders had made their fair share of enemies in each house with their notorious pranks and their infamous ability to escape the worst punishments; even within the den of Gryffindors, there were those just waiting for their chance to get revenge. Now, with his friends slowly but noticeably drifting away from their weakest member, people were starting to circle like grindylows.

The Slytherins had yet to make a move, biding their time and waiting for the opportune moment to strike just like their namesakes, nasty little bastards. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were sending him considering looks as if evaluating his dwindling worth.

The Gryffindors, well. House loyalty only went so far when one has had their heart broken, their girlfriend was stolen, or their pride shattered one too many times.

When all of this was added on top of the very real and growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named outside the castle walls, Peter was distinctly starting to feel a lack of protection, and he was humble enough to admit he was scared.

So how did this all come down to him deciding the culmination of his problems rested in the newest Gryffindor girl?

Well, truth be told, if Peter were to analyze his thoughts a bit more carefully, it probably wasn't her fault. At least, not entirely.

But it was just so much easier to put the blame on someone else, someone new and unfamiliar, rather than himself or his friends.

She made it pretty easy for him to dislike her as well.

It wasn't that she was inherently unlikeable, she was actually decently friendly, humorous, a good student with the exception of Herbology, which she had admitted outright that she had failed in. She could bring James to tears in both pain AND laughter and she had Remus' respect for her cool head and keen intellect.

She had a confidence that Peter wished he could emulate, and that made it all the worse.

He just couldn't stand the idea that she might be replacing him.

 _I've got to do something_ , he thought to himself, _before they leave me for her, before I'm left alone._

But what?

He didn't want to confront her outright. The rumors about how she had handled Lighthaven were still going strong and he didn't think she would react positively if he just outright told her to back off.

So that meant something a little less, Gryffindorish. Perhaps he could embarrass her in front of Sirius and the others so badly that they would never want to be associated with her again?

Yes, that sounded much better. Now, all he needed was the perfect opportunity…

Said first opportunity came sooner than he had expected, seeing that tomorrow afternoon the annual Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts were going to be held.

James and Sirius held no illusions that they wouldn't be keeping their old positions of chaser and beater respectively. Instead, they had spent the entirety of breakfast badgering Waterbrooke to go for the team and shockingly, she was refusing flat out.

James, as acting captain and with the Quidditch House Cup on his mind was at the point of begging, and Sirius was close behind as Remus and Peter watched in bemusement.

"Come on, Wat-err, Sarah! Yes, Sarah! You've gotta try for beater! With your monster-strength, there's no way you wouldn't be able to knock a full grown player off their broom with one hit!"

Sarah looked like she couldn't choose whether to be flattered or insulted but eventually settled for the latter, threatening James with a fist in the air.

James cowered back, quite intimate by now in the knowledge of how much it hurt to get hit by her, but was saved when Sirius grasped Sarah's fist with both of his hands, bringing it close to his chest as he stared into her eyes.

"Come on darling, don't you think we'd make a great team?" He was laying it on thick with the overt flattering and Peter pretended to gag at Remus, who nodded and mimed the same.

Sirius magnanimously chose to ignore them.

"Think about it, my little Waterfall" he continued, his voice becoming low and dramatic. "You and me, demolishing Slytherin into itty bitty bits, flying side by side as we share our victory lap together? Why, I'd bet people would start calling us the ultimate power couple."

Insert eyebrow waggle.

Waterbrooke used her free hand to flick Sirius on the forehead, who yelped and leaned away, rubbing his head and pouting.

"One: don't call me 'Waterfall,' and two: there is no way come hell or high water or rampaging dragons," she spoke seriously, "no, way, that I'm getting on a broom."

"Wait, what?" Peter was intrigued, this was interesting and potentially useful. "What's wrong with brooms?"

"What isn't?" she scoffed, heedless of the horrified looks she was receiving from Sirius and James. "They're uncomfortable, impractical, they're dangerous, they could cause a sailor to hurl! Why would I ever choose to travel with one?"

"Besides," she said as she turned back to her eggs and bacon, "I don't like Quidditch."

James gasped, clinging to Sirius, who was looking at Waterbrooke like she had just declared her undying love for Snivellus.

"Heretic! Non-believer! And I had such high expectations of you!" James wailed like a mother with a disappointing child, "Sirius, do something about her!"

"You're breaking my heart, Waterbrooke." Sirius was solemn as he spoke, but the girl wasn't having it.

"Inform me when it shatters then, would you? I'd like to know where I should avoid stepping."

Peter had to admit, that was kind of funny.

"And really you two, you're acting like I just murdered your favorite pet or something."

"You might as well have!" Sirius yelled. "How do you not like Quidditch? What's WRONG with Americans?!"

"I'm done," Waterbrooke stood up and began walking towards the Slytherin table, the traitor. "Let me know when you want to talk about something else."

"Hey! Wait! Where are you going?" Sirius yelped, trying to jump up and stop her but got tangled in James who was still clutching at him in hysterics.

Waterbrooke ignored Sirius spectacularly, instead she waved at where Montagnard was sitting with her gaggle of Slytherin friends.

"Hey, Jenelle!" she chirped, her voice slowly fading as she got farther away. "Got room for one more? Narcissa! Great to see you again! Severus, looking glowering and magnificent as always."

"Damn woman," Sirius muttered, a tinge of jealousy effusing the air around him as he turned with a huff and threw himself into his food.

Peter took this opportunity to test the waters.

"Umm, Sirius? I was wondering..." Peter paused, he would need to word this carefully, Merlin knows Sirius in a snit was chilling to be on the receiving end of.

"Why exactly are you trying so hard with Waterbrooke? I-I mean," he added in a not entirely fake stutter, as his friend was now aiming a hairy eye at his person. He gulped.

"She's a great person I guess, but I don't know, isn't she a bit left of your normal type…?" Peter trailed off, not sure of what to say next.

Sirius looked at him like he was speaking Parseltongue. "What are you blathering about, Wormtail?"

"W-well," he tried again, "isn't she a bit too, err, plain?"

James was the one to break the incredulous silence that had overtaken their end of the table after his comment.

"Just what in the hell kind of standards do you got, mate?" he wondered out loud, and Peter blushed furiously.

"I'm not calling her ugly!" he meeped, "I'm just saying that Sirius usually goes for girls with more, err, err..." he couldn't think of a way to say 'heart-stopping beauty and huge tits' in a socially acceptable way.

Luckily for Wormtail, Sirius must have found something humorous with his verbal flailing, since he gave Peter a slightly-harder-than-strictly-necessary slap on the back and a laugh.

"Our adorable little bunny may not be drop-dead gorgeous," he admitted, "but she's more than good-looking enough for me or any bloke with two functioning eyes. Come on Wormy, are you really doubting my tastes after all this time?" The look in Sirius' eye told Peter that he had absolutely no room to judge, and Peter would have been offended if he had even a smidgen of the experience with birds that Sirius boasted.

Well, so much for the subtle, easy route.

"Err, sorry, Sirius, I didn't mean anything by it." He thought desperately for a way to salvage the conversation, along with his original plans, when inspiration suddenly hit like a bludger to the head.

"Say, you still want Waterbrooke to try out for the team, right?"

James nodded morosely. "Monster strength, " he sighed, looking forlorn at the thought of such an opportunity slipping through Gryffindor's fingers.

"Well, h-how about I talk to her and get her to try out?" His offer was met with skepticism around the table, and he couldn't help the feeling of indignation, he wasn't useless damn it!

"Are you sure, Peter?" Remus sounded like he was trying to be supportive, but Peter could only hear doubt. "Perhaps if one of us talks to Montagnard inst-"

"I can do it!" he interrupted, insulted that they had so little faith in him.

"Aw, let him try," James spoke up, looking resigned. "At worst nothing changes, and if by some miracle he does get her to try out, then we'll have a better beater than Morallis for sure!"

Everyone seemed to be in agreement, so the matter was dropped. Peter was determined to see this through. If Waterbrooke hated flying so much, then there was probably a good reason for it. All he had to do was bring it out into the open somehow, then Sirius and James and even Remus would see what a waste of time she and Montagnard were.

And then, finally, things go back to the way they were meant to be.

Peter was finally able to corner Waterbrooke after Transfiguration class, grabbing her and pulling at her arm until she followed him around the bend of the corridor and away from the retreating mob of students.

"Umm, Pettigrew?" Sarah stared at where his hand was gripping her wrist, and Peter squeaked at his own audacity. Dropping it like a hot potato, he felt his cheeks light up with fire. Next to him, he heard Waterbrooke snort in the most unladylike fashion.

What did Sirius see in this broad, anyway?

"Err, ahh, f-forgive me." His verbal stumbles were apparently good enough for her to smile.

"Yeah sure, whatever. What's shakin', bacon?"

He floundered, having no idea what that meant.

"...'sigh,' how can I help you." Her tone was a bit less accommodating the second time around.

 _Well if you're going to be like that, how about leaving and never coming back?_

Unfortunately, Peter's bravery only extended so far and it definitely did not manifest itself in sarcastic quips in front of a girl he was positive could clobber him if she were so inclined.

Instead, he put on a smile that he hoped wasn't too sickly and said, "..."

He had frozen completely.

 _Merlin's balls Peter Pettigrew, say SOMETHING!_

"Oooookay…? Look, I think I'm just gonna go if it's all the sam-" Waterbrooke started.

"PLEASE COME TO THE TRYOUTS THIS AFTERNOON!"

Silence.

 _Oh great bloody job you utter boob._

He tried to recover. "Er, what I mean to say is, the team, I mean James and Sirius, well if you could just consider…"

Her shocked expression from his outburst had gone strangely blank, not outright refusing, but neither was it amenable. He let the awkward air sit for a few seconds longer before taking one more steadying breath, wringing his robe as discreetly as he could in his sweaty fists.

"...fine."

Peter blinked. That hadn't been his voice. He peered, flabbergasted, at the girl before him.

"Pardon?"

Waterbrooke rolled her eyes slightly, but she repeated her answer. "Fine, I'll go."

He couldn't believe his luck. That had probably been the worst request he had ever made to a person before and yet she agreed just like that? Why!?

"N-Not that I'm not glad to hear it, but, err, you seemed pretty adamant on saying no just a few hours ago..."

The girl turned around and started walking away, only motioning slightly at him to show that she expected to be followed. Peter hastily clutched his bag to his chest before running to close the distance between them.

"Waterbrooke?"

"...Look, to be completely honest, I'm not exactly doing this to make you happy." she explained, blunt as a club. At least it made Peter slightly less guilty, though it still didn't really answer his question.

She hadn't looked at him the entire time they had been walking, and Peter absently noticed that they were on the way back to the Gryffindor Tower.

"...Let's just say I've got something to prove, at least to myself. I'll try my best, that's all I can promise."

Peter hastened to reassure her. "That's fine! That's all anyone can ask really, and hey, as long as you give it a good go, that's what matters in the end right?" He trailed off, taken aback when Waterbrooke finally turned her head to smile at him.

Thinking back, it might have been the first sincere smile he had ever gotten from her.

"Thanks, man. You...well, you're more than I'd first thought" Waterbrooke concluded.

Peter felt the guilt from before come back, a bit stronger than before but squashed it ruthlessly. This was for his friendships, for his future, for everything that he cared about.

 _Now, all I've got to do is sneak down to the pitch..._

Later that night, he was treated to the distinct pleasure of all three other Marauders looking at him with astonishment and wonder. Peter couldn't help but puff his chest out, feeling on top of the world.

 _You see? I can be useful! Why would you ever want to replace me, when I can do things that even you can't?_

"Mate, how'd you..." James looked thunderstruck, and Peter moved to his bed, plopping down in a show of satisfaction.

"It's all in the words, James," he said smugly. Sirius broke out of his own stupor to tackle Peter onto his back, the two of them laughing like mad.

"Brilliant, you're absolutely brilliant, Peter!" Sirius was looking at him with so much respect, and Peter couldn't help but think that this is how things should be. Just the four of them against the world, and no one else interfering.

"It's no problem, Sirius," he grinned as he patted his friend, his friend, on the back.

"I'm sure she'll do great at the tryouts."


	13. Chapter 13 - Falling is One Way to Go

CHAPTER 13 - Falling is One Way to Go (But I'd Rather Not if it's All the Same to You)

"Why am I here again?"

"You are here," Sarah stated calmly as she tugged at the reluctant redhead's arm, "because you are an amazing person with a heart of gold who would never leave another girl hanging, much less leave her to fend for herself while she walks haplessly towards her ever-approaching doom and-"

Lily laughed helplessly, amused to no small end at how Waterbrooke could keep a sentence running. "Alright, alright, I get it! I'm here to prevent said inevitable doom then, is that it?"

Sarah shot her a smile, bright and cheerful. "Pretty much!"

Lily shook her head but didn't argue, completely fine with this chance to get to know her new friend more. Ever since their run-in last week Lily had been determined to know more about Sarah, and she had even started spending time with Jenelle Montagnard as well. The three girls had already shared a table in the library a few times and had even invited an extremely reluctant Severus to study by the lake on one memorable occasion. Lily had been overjoyed at the positive atmosphere that had surrounded their little group, isolated away from judging eyes.

Before the meetup, she had secretly been worried. No matter how much she was beginning to like her new housemate, Sarah was likely going to start picking up some bad habits from the Marauders.

At first, after learning that the Ilvermorny girl was hanging out with the four trouble-making boys, Lily had given up hope that Sarah Waterbrooke had a working brain in her head, but she was pleasantly surprised to see that that was not the case. The girl had the somewhat off-putting habit of changing personalities to fit whatever group she was running with at the time, but Lily decided that she could overlook that. It wasn't like it was harming anyone.

 _Besides_ , Lily pondered as the castle opened up to the Quidditch grounds in front of them, _she seemed really nervous when asked me to come, I can't help but worry a little…_

They had made their way through the wooden awning that separated the inner pitch from the rest of the grounds before Lily spied Black doing a double take at seeing them. He then proceeded to elbow Potter, pointing their way.

"Oh, great," she bemoaned as the two boys left the rest of their teammates and the other tryout hopefuls to saunter over to the edge of the pitch.

"Incoming at twelve o'clock, be on your guard," Lily whispered into the other girl's ear.

Sarah giggled before giving her a two finger salute, "Sir, yes Sir!" she stated mockingly, and the two of them dissolved into laughter hidden behind their hands.

"Ladies," Potter had reached them first, running a hand through his damnable hair that he thought was so attractive. "I hope you two were talking about us!"

"A dangerous thing to ask for considering we were laughing, Potter," Lily responded stiffly.

Black had pulled up behind James and now had his eyes locked on Sarah, a cocky grin on his face.

"Well, the knowledge that the thought of me brings you such joy is a treat in and of itself, Watercake" he purred towards Sarah, who preceded to roll her eyes at him.

 _Good gir_ l, Lily commended.

"Really Sirius, you've gotta stop with the names. That one didn't even make sense," Sarah said, her gaze amused but a warning. "Eventually you're going to run out of water-themed words, and then what?"

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to pick out your favorite, my dainty drop of sugar water!"

 _Ugh_. Lily actually shared a commiserating glance with Potter, who looked just as aggrieved at his friend's refusal to tone down the revolting levels of sweetness.

"Pads, down," Potter shoved at Black's arm, before turning to Sarah with a gleeful look.

"And you, Waterbrooke!" he pointed a finger at the girl in question. "Are you ready to use your frankly freakish strength for the common good of Gryffindor?"

Her answering look was strange: a dose of hesitation, a trace of amusement, and underneath it all an underlying frisson of fear.

 _Why do I have a bad feeling that she wasn't joking about that 'doom' part?_

Before anything could be said, Peter rushed up to their group, a broom clutched tightly in his hands.

"Here you go Sarah!" he cheerfully offered the broom to her, "James told me to get the safest broom we have, it's a Cleansweep!"

Lily nodded her head, approving of the choice; not the fastest, but trustworthy and reliable.

Sarah took the broom gingerly from Peter's outstretched hands, holding it like it was going to attack her. The boy clapped his palms together, rubbing them up and down.

He seemed strangely jittery, even for a boy with his nervous reputation, and Lily noticed that Black and Potter had taken note of it as well. The two Quidditch players were eying the smaller Marauder up and down as if there was something ever so slightly off.

"The beater tryouts are next, right James? So go on, Sarah!" he cheered. "I believe in you, you can do it!"

Sirius spoke up after a few seconds of awkward silence when the black-haired girl should have moved forward but instead had stayed frozen in place. "Err, Waterbrooke?"

"...Nothin' to it but to do it," she was whispering to herself, seeming to not notice that Lily was able to hear her. "It's pretty pathetic, in the long run..."

Sarah marched forward suddenly heading past James and Sirius towards the rest of the team hopefuls, leaving Lily with an unexpected pit of dread forming in her gut.

 _It'll be okay_ , Lily reassured herself as she watched her new friend kick off, rising unsteadily into the air with her grip white-knuckled and easy to see, even from as far away as she was.

 _She'll be fine._

* * *

Things were not fine.

They had started off well enough, sure. For all of about ten seconds.

Then, catastrophe.

In front of her horrified eyes, Lily saw Sarah suddenly jerked forward. The reason became obvious when the broom started vibrating with an audible whine, tossing minutely every which way.

"SARAH!" Lily screamed, causing the players down below to look up. Everyone gasped in horror when the girl's broom suddenly took off in a rapid ascent, Waterbrooke clinging with all her might and crying out.

"HELP!"

Her screamed seemed to shake everyone awake. Black and Potter, along with half a dozen others, mounted their brooms in a panic as they tried to reach her. Other students tried to catch her or her broom in a stasis spell, but the broom moved too randomly to make an easy target.

Lily could only watch as the rogue broom started zigzagging violently, bypassing every player trying to catch it.

"Bloody hell, SOMEONE GET HER!" Black bellowed, trying to grab onto the broom's tail twigs to no avail, it was moving to randomly for him to predict where it would be next. He cursed as he was almost hit by a wayward spell.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE AIMING, YOU BLOODY PILLOCKS!"

"SARAH!" screamed Potter, face a mess of panic and distress, "Sarah! Calm down! Get it under your control!"

"I can't!"

Lily's heart broke; Sarah sounded so frightened, so terrified.

"Please!" the poor girl begged as the broom almost bucked her off, "S-someone, anyone! Sirius! Don't let me fall! Help!"

"Hold on!" Black was right on her tail, and Lily felt a flash of hope; he almost had her! But just as his hand brushed the neck of the broom, the broom rolled, and Black went flying past her.

Lily cried out in horror, along with the rest of the onlookers. "SARAH!"

She was hanging by a single hand, many meters above the ground. Sirius was too far away, James was too far away, everyone was too far away.

They could only watch, terror-stricken, as Waterbrooke's grip gave out and she plunged downwards, screaming all the way.

Lily could feel herself sobbing in helplessness as Sarah plummeted, Black diving as well, his arm outstretched, but it wasn't enough, he wasn't close enough!

Down...

Down...

Down...

" _ARRESTO MOMENTUM!_ "

Sarah's body slowed considerably the last few meters, but it wasn't enough to save her from a sickeningly hard impact. A cry of agony from the ground was what caused Lily to finally unfreeze herself and she jumped down to the field below where everyone was gathering in a ring around the fallen girl.

Pushing her way through all the bodies, Lily arrived to see Black cradling Waterbrooke in his arms, staring in horror at the blood gushing from a wound on her head. Lily also noticed that the girl's shoulder was much lower than it should be; a dislocation, almost for certain.

Sarah's eyes were shut tightly in pain and the only sounds coming from her were pitiable, mewling whimpers and wheezing. Like she couldn't breathe correctly.

Before she could kneel beside an almost-comatose Black, Lily was stunned and relieved to see headmaster Dumbledore, Madam Hooch, and for some reason, Montagnard all rushing towards them.

 _It must have been him that cast the spell_ , she thought numbly, _Dumbledore saved her life_.

"What the hell happened?!" Montagnard looked furious. Lily had never seen the tall girl look any more than mildly irritated the entire time she had been at Hogwarts.

"Sarah! Sarah, you need to tell us what's hurts, okay sweetie?" Montagnard was now kneeling beside her friend, Dumbledore joining her as Madam Hooch shooed off everyone she could. Potter remained behind Black, looking stunned.

"P-professor," Lily croaked, bringing multiple pairs of eyes on herself. She swallowed but continued. "She's got a cut on her head, a dislocated shoulder, and it's a safe bet that some ribs are fractured as well, one might even have punctured a lung."

Dumbledore's face had grown more and more dark with each listed injury, while Montagnard's grew even more irate. The blonde girl spun to face Black, who was still staring blankly at the Gryffindor in his arms.

"Why was she on a broom in the first place?" she demanded, but Black didn't answer.

Potter was the one that replied, his voice faint and weak. "We-" he looked ready to pass out, "I don't know, we just wanted her to try for the beater position. I don't know why the broom freaked out!"

Dumbledore had been casting healing spells the entire time they had been talking, but it obviously wasn't doing much.

"She needs Madam Pomfrey, right away" he declared seriously. With a quick flick of his wand Sarah was enveloped in a stasis spell then levitated her to eye level. Dumbledore began jogging (surprisingly briskly) back to the castle.

Montagnard made to follow, but threw one last contemptuous glare behind her. "You idiots. Sarah is absolutely terrified of heights."

Lily and the others watched, petrified, as the three figures rapidly made the journey back to the castle. Lily started after them, breaking into a run. She came up next to Sarah's floating body and grasped her hand. Montagnard shot her a hard glare, but Lily returned it right back; she wasn't going to leave her new friend without someone prying off her cold dead fingers.

They left behind them a gaggle of murmuring students, a teacher trying to regain control of the scene, and a boy, still kneeling in the grass, his hands covered in blood.


	14. Chapter 14 - Concerns and Confrontations

CHAPTER 14 - Comfort and Confrontation

"Sarah? Sarah, I'm here. It's Jenelle, I'm here with you."

Jenelle pleaded to her friend as Dumbledore gently relaxed his levitation charm and Sarah's unconscious body was placed on a cot in the infirmary. Jenelle stepped up to her friend's side, placing a trembling hand on Sarah's blood-soaked hair and blinking back angry and fearful tears from her eyes.

"Miss Montagnard, please, stand back and allow Madam Pomfrey to assess the girl's condition. That's it now, come along."

Jenelle felt a pair of curiously strong hands grip her shoulder and guide her away from the cot. Madam Pomfrey was rushing past her with a handful of bottles and linens that she dropped on the bedside table, proceeding to pull her wand from the pocket of her apron and give it a little twist.

A pale blue light washed over Sarah and hovered just above her body. It began to glow orange in places where she was the most injured, and a greenish color in places of less severity.

There was hardly any green to be seen, and the entirety of her torso and head were a brilliant apricot hue.

Jenelle held the back of her hand against her mouth and grimaced. She had seen Sarah in some seriously sticky situations, some resulting in a few cringe-worthy injuries, but she had never seen her best friend like this. Half of her face was red with blood and her shoulder was still at a sickening angle against the cot. As Madam Pomfrey charmed away the girl's robes and shirt, Jenelle could see the skin beneath was already a darkened hue of purple and black around her ribs.

She was mercifully unconscious now, but Jenelle could only guess as to how long that would last. She gripped to the front of her Slytherin robes and looked at the scene in disbelief.

Jenelle had seen the whole thing. She had been talking with Dumbledore as they walked together by the lake. The Headmaster had wanted an update on the girl's time at Hogwarts thus far. Dumbledore had been trying to explain the progress being made on finding a way back to the year 2010 for the Ilvermorny girls, when they had seen some commotion out on the Quidditch pitch.

A broom had been acting strangely, whizzing to-and-fro, dipping and rising again in an agitated fashion. They had both stopped to watch the act, looks of confusion across their faces, until the flyer swung from the broom and was holding to the pole with a single solitary hand.

It was then that Jenelle saw in horror a mess of choppy black hair flying about the face of the rider.

"Headmaster! That's Sarah!" Jenelle yelped, jutting forward.

"Yes, a moment my dear. Just a moment." Dumbledore had his wand out in a flash and reached for the back of Jenelle's robes, grabbing a handful of hair and cloth. Then the world spun crazily before her eyes and she felt herself being apparated across the grounds to stand just below one of the Keeper's rings.

She didn't have a moment to recover from the twisting knot of motion sickness in her gut before she joined Dumbledore and the sudden appearance of Madam Hooch in running toward the site where Sarah lay limp in Sirius' arms. A single thought had ripped through Jenelle's mind at the sight.

 _What has that bastard done to her!?_

"Madam Pomfrey, make sure you don't give her anything plant-based that grows in salt water she'll have a reaction, and she won't want a bunch of pillows under her head, you'll have to wash the blood from her hair, she hates feeling dirty, also her shoes-" Jenelle was mumbling at an abnormal speed, frantically trying to participate in the procedure while still being held firmly where she stood by the Headmaster's hands.

"Miss Evans, could I ask you to help me move Miss Montagnard to a more comfortable waiting area?" Jenelle heard Dumbledore's soft voice over her shoulder.

"NO! No, I need to be here, I'm not leaving," Jenelle shrieked, tears welling in her eyes and spilling in heavy drops on the floor. "Please, I won't get in the way, I'll just stand here, just so she know's I'm here. She needs to know I'm here…"

Lily, who had been anxiously but patiently standing in the background hurried forward and stepped in front of Jenelle, reaching for her hands. Jenelle looked to her like she had been slapped in the face, her cheeks wet with tears and her mouth slack-jawed. Lily didn't miss a beat, holding Jenelle's hands gently in her own and rubbing the back of her palms in little circles with her thumbs.

"It's alright Montagnard, just come over here. We won't leave the ward, we'll just go for a little walk, give Madam Pomfrey some time to work, yeah?" Lily cooed. Jenelle wondered if Evans was trying to keep her own emotions in check and pondered briefly how the other girl could be so good at it, she had never had any skill in it herself.

She looked back at her friend lying in the bed, nearly undressed now as Madam Pomfrey drizzled a smoking purple tonic over her bare ribs. It stained the sheets and dripped into a growing puddle on the stone floor below.

"I can't- I should stay…" Jenelle pleaded again, this time in a tone hardly audible, even in the eerily quiet expanse of the infirmary.

"Shh now, let's go over here." Lily gave a quick nod to Dumbledore and pulled Jenelle's arm through hers, leading her away from the bed as the bearded wizard floated over a long cream colored partition to block the scene from view. There were a few hushed sentences, too quiet to understand, then silence as Jenelle was sure the Headmaster had cast a _muffilato_ spell.

Lily guided her to a bench outside the infirmary and left to get them both a hot cup of tea. Jenelle felt her anguish begin to cease now that they were further from Sarah's bed, but in its place was a growing, burning anger.

There was something very wrong with this situation.

 _Why...why was she even up there to begin with? She hates heights! She would never have gone along with a stupid plan like that!_

Jenelle heard a mass of footsteps approaching and glanced up, and that was when she was hit with a bolt of clarity.

 _Them_.

* * *

Remus had sprinted full tilt to join Sirius and the others as they made their way back into the castle. With his heightened werewolf senses he had smelled a lot of blood through the open window of the library and dashed over to see what had happened. He could see Dumbledore's tall, grey figure with wand outstretched, guiding a levitating body across the school grounds.

Beside him, there were two girls; one with fiery red hair and the other curiously tall and hair shining like gold…

Once he recognized the group Remus sprinted from the window and out the library, whizzing by angry hushed voices of fellow students caught up in their studies. He paused for a moment on the spiral staircase to look out over the grounds and saw Sirius, James, and some others walking slowly toward the castle. Peter was nowhere to be seen.

Sirius had blood on his hands and shirt and James was holding two broomsticks in his hand, the other placed on Sirius's back. More confused than ever, Remus took off down the stairs and weaved through the halls until he met up with the boys just inside the entrance to the school. He saw little drops of blood lining the floor on the way up towards the infirmary and held his breath.

 _What in Merlin's name had happened?!_

"Padfoot! Prongs! What's going on?" he cried, jogging over to his friends.

"Th- there was an accident," James sputtered, his eyes were wide and wild and his hair tousled more than it usually was.

"The Ilvermorny girl fell from her broom!" a yippy little Gryffindor added.

"She got pretty smashed up," another student said solemnly.

"Blimey! Have a little respect!" James hissed behind him. The young Gryffindors, that were obviously chomping at the bit to be part of the group, flinched and mumbled their apologies before dispersing throughout the lobby. They left the remaining three Marauders standing in stunned silence in the great foyer. There were distant shouts and the slamming of doors heard from what seemed like miles away.

Remus gathered his thoughts. He knew that the injured Ilvermorny girl had to be Sarah, and though he was relieved to know it wasn't Jenelle his heart still sank at the thought of his injured housemate. Looking up at Sirius he realized the dark haired boy was in a considerable amount of shock. He had not managed to speak but seemed comatose where he stood.

"Sirius?" he asked carefully. "What do you want to do?"

Sirius looked up as if he had just noticed Remus was there. His eyebrows lifted and he raised his hands, looking at the blood beginning to dry and flake off in tiny pieces.

"I, um… I want to go see Waterbrooke," he said hoarsely as if his throat was parched. "I should go see if there's anything I can do."

"Well, alright. How about we go sit outside the infirmary and then we'll ask for an update when there is one. How's that sound?" Remus offered kindly to Sirius, getting a nod of approval from James.

"Yeah. Yeah, that'd be fine," Sirius choked out, he was nodding furiously, clenching and unclenching his fists.

It didn't take them long to reach the hall leading to the infirmary. Sirius had gained back some of his composure and was leading the group. James was at his heels and Remus followed along after that. They rounded the corner of the infirmary and walked onward a few steps before stopping abruptly as Sirius came to a grinding halt in front of them.

Remus stared over Sirius' shoulder and saw a familiar set of Slytherin robes sat on a bench outside the entrance.

Jenelle was rising to her feet, her hands in fists at her side. Remus saw blood on both and took a sharp breath. He stepped forward, putting a few yards between himself and Sirius and called out warily.

"Jenelle, are you alright? How...how is she? How's Waterbrooke?" he asked hesitantly.

Jenelle said nothing, but instead scanned each one of them. Remus had the disquieting feeling she was examining them as a potions master eyed her tonics. It was methodical and cold.

"She's unwell, as you can imagine," she said.

It was Sirius who stepped forward next. Remus saw that his friend was beginning to fill up with nervous energy, his motions becoming jittery and wild.

"We- I want to see her," he demanded, moving forward impatiently. "What's going on? Is she okay? What's Pomfrey doing?"

"It's none of your business, Black," Jenelle said coldly.

Sirius balked, looking affronted, but Jenelle's gaze was icy and firm.

"What did you just say, Montagnard? That's OUR housemate in there!" Sirius was starting to become visibly annoyed, but for once James stepped up to be the voice of reason instead of leaving it for Remus to do.

"Look, Montagnard, whatever you think happened, it's not our fault! Sarah said she would give it a try and she had barely gotten into the air with things went to hell-"

"Things wouldn't have GONE to hell if you IDIOTS had the sense to ease off when I'm certain she told you she didn't want to fly!"

"How would you know that?" Remus asked skeptically.

Jenelle looked exasperated bordering on actually confused. "Because we know everything about each other! How many times do we have to impress it upon you dolts that we are best friends and we look out for each other?" Jenelle ran her hands over her scalp as she spoke, struggling to keep her composure.

"Something was off," James concluded, after a pause. "It didn't seem that the fall had anything to do with Sarah's ability. The broom was acting strangely, right Sirius?"

Sirius was still eyeing Jenelle down the hall with a certain level of contempt. He didn't respond right away but after closing his eyes and cracking his neck he seemed to settle and relax.

"Yeah, something was definitely not right with that broom. She should have been able to at least hover in spot," he concluded.

"Do you think she had a faulty broom?" Jenelle asked, finally able to disregard her anger now that a real mystery was unfurling.

"Or someone did something to it…" James mused, the rest of them staring at him in surprise.

"It couldn't have been that," Remus insisted, "who would want to hurt Waterbrooke?"

"Who indeed…" Sirius growled.

"You boys can just forget about it. I'll figure out what happened to Sarah, you three have done enough. Especially you," Jenelle pointed to Sirius, "I don't want to see you near her again, do you understand?"

Sirius did not take her words well at all, and it seemed to Remus that this accusation was the final straw for him.

"You know what? I don't think I will."

If Jenelle had seemed icy before, she had just gone straight past glacier and into subzero.

"Excuse you?"

Sirius was unruffled, ignoring James as the other boy tugged warningly at his arm.

"You heard me, Montagnard," he sneered. "In fact, I think it'd be better if you were the one to shove off."

"Sirius, what the bloody hell is wrong with you!" Remus demanded, feeling appalled.

"This whole situation is what's wrong, and I'm not talking about the flaming broom!" Sirius pointed a finger at Jenelle, who was almost shaking in rage.

"Ever since you two have come here, Waterbrooke's done nothing but defend you and talk about how you're different from other Slytherins or how you two are friends no matter what. Well, I still don't buy it!" His words echoed up and down the corridor, met with silence until he continued his accusation.

"I have never met a Slytherin who was ever worth any kind of trust. They're all just a pit of back vipers, waiting for the best time to sink their fangs into someone."

"That's enough, Sirius," James said, but Remus could hear the reluctance under his words. It seemed that even Prongs had his doubts about Jenelle.

The tall boy narrowed his gaze. "I don't know how the hell you two met, I don't know how you convinced Waterbrooke that you're more than just a self-serving snake in the grass, but I know your type."

Jenelle opened her mouth to respond, but Sirius cut her off again.

"What is it about her that you find useful, Montagnard?" His voice was mocking now, and Remus noticed that Jenelle had stiffened at his words.

"There is something, isn't there!" Sirius looked triumphant, and he moved closer, closing the distance until there were only a few feet between the two.

"I knew it," he hissed in her face. "You're just using her because she's convenient. She's got something you want or you need, so you decided to play 'friends' to get whatever it is. Well I'm onto you, _Montagnard_."

The way he said her name, it might have well been an insult of the foulest kind.

"Waterbrooke doesn't need friends like you, and we're gonna make sure she knows that."

"Heh, you're in way over your head, Black. Exactly how long have you had a hard-on for Sarah? Does she know? What am I saying, of course she does. The only thing that's slick about you is your filthy hair."

Remus was torn: that was his friend she was insulting, but then again his friend had his head up his ass.

Sirius had no trouble responding though. "Dumbledore's in there isn't he? I think we should go have a talk to him, remind him about how important house unity is."

Sirius and Jenelle were face to face now, neither of them backing down.

"You're not going near her."

"You don't own her, snake."

Remus had enough.

"You two need to back off, right now." He grabbed at Sirius' arm, none too gently, and used his strength to drag him back. Sirius never broke eye contact with Jenelle the entire time.

Remus turned to the girl and bowed his head. "I am so, so sorry about him. Rest assured, not everyone is of the same opinion. I, for one, believe that you are someone of integrity if that means anything to you."

Jenelle grimaced slightly at his words. For a second there was the hint of an apology in her lips, then just as quickly it was gone and she was eyeing Sirius again.

"I hope you become worthy of the people you surround yourself with, Black. I'm going to go check on Sarah," she turned and paused after the first step, then turned back to look at them all.

"I'll send word on her condition, through Lily," her face softened slightly. "Goodnight."


	15. Chapter 15 - I'm Fine, Ignore the Tears

CHAPTER 15 - I'm Fine, Please Ignore the Tears

When Sarah came back to consciousness it was a slow, gradual thing, like waking from a long hibernation. The first thing her brain cataloged was sound. Her groggy mind latched onto the task of identifying everything she could hear, not wanting to challenge herself with sight yet.

 _Birds chirping to my right. Echoing. Must be a window. Indoors then._

 _Strong wind. Shouting outside. Daytime._

 _Shuffling feet. Humming. Pomfrey?_

She tried to open her eyes, but immediately regretted doing so; the bright light streaming in through the windows caused a massive spike of pain to lance through her head, and she let out a groan.

"My goodness, Miss Waterbrooke, what are you doing awake!" The poor woman, definitely Madam Pomfrey, sounded slightly panicked and Sarah had no idea why.

"What do you mean?" she croaked for clarification.

"I mean," the nurse stressed as she checked her patient's vitals with a quick diagnostics spell, "you should still be asleep for another six hours! Your last dose of Draught of the Living Death was supposed to keep you under for at least that long so that you could finish the worst of your healing in peace!" She proceeded to wave her wand at the cot underneath her, and Sarah ever so minutely sat up as the bed bent to a reclined angle.

 _Huh_. "...Maybe I'm a light sleeper?" she hazarded a guess.

The nurse sent her a disapproving look. "It does not work that way, young lady," she scolded slightly.

Sarah looked her directly in the eyes. "I got nothin'."

The woman sighed, muttering to herself, "I'll have to check with Albus about this."

"Ah, before you do," Sarah interrupted before Pomfrey could leave, "could you maybe tell me how long I've been here?"

"Of course dear. Let's see, you came in around 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, and it's currently around twelve thirty, Sunday afternoon, so about twenty hours, give or take."

 _Cheese and crackers._

"Woah" was all she could respond with.

Madam Pomfrey gave her a light pat on the hand in sympathy. "You've had quite the ordeal, my girl. Actually, while I'm here, do you happen to remember anything?"

Sarah took a moment to organize her thoughts. The events of yesterday were slightly jumbled due to her head injury, but before long she had mostly sorted them out.

"I- I was at the Quidditch pitch," she started slowly, and the nurse began taking notes on a parchment attached to her clipboard.

"I went up, it was, it was really high." _It had been terrifying, to say the truth._

She swallowed, her throat feeling dry. "Something was wrong. It started, shaking."

"Yes, there were multiple eyewitness accounts of that," Madam Pomfrey nodded.

Sarah's memory appeared in brief, violent flashes. The overwhelming fear, bodies flying around her, reaching out to her but not close enough. Sirius, his face panicked and frightened, above her as she was falling down, down, down.

"I fell," she said flatly. There was an uncomfortable pause around her before Madam Pomfrey looked at her with heavy pity.

"You did," she confirmed gently. "You fell quite far, Miss Waterbrooke. The Headmaster was able to cancel your terminal velocity but you were too close to the ground to avoid major injuries."

"What's the damage?" She needed to know suddenly.

Fortunately, Pomfrey seemed to realize that Sarah wanted facts, not platitudes. She responded crisply and professionally. "A single, localized contusion at your left temple, resulting in significant blood loss. Multiple contusions and abrasions on your extremities, three cracked ribs that will take a week of potions to completely heal, but luckily, only a slight puncturing of your right lung, which I was able to fix without problems."

"Moll Dyer," Sarah breathed, eyes blown wide.

"Now, it's completely understandable if you're in a bit of shock, Miss Waterbrooke. It's very rare that students your age go through such a traumatic experience and-"

"Traumatic?" Sarah tilted her head in confusion. "I'm not traumatized."

"Miss Waterbrooke," Pomfrey insisted, looking her square in the eye, "there is no need for heroics and posturing here."

"But I'm not." Sarah's face was completely sincere. "I mean," she continued, shrugging, "I'm probably not gonna try that again for the foreseeable future, and I still hate being high up without a parachute, but..." She thought a bit more seriously. "I'm fine, Ma'am. Emotionally, I mean."

Pomfrey stared in disbelief. The idea that the girl in front of them was brushing off a near-death experience like it was an irritating kappa, instead of the dementor it really was, did not seem to be going down well.

The mediwitch studied the Ilvermorny girl's body language down to the last detail. Except for the understandable hiccups that happened whenever she breathed too deeply, Waterbrooke was showing absolutely no signs of falling into a hysterical meltdown.

"Just what are they feeding you over there in Ilvermorny, Miss Waterbrooke?" she asked, only half joking.

Sarah smiled impishly. "Good ol' cornmeal and grits where I'm from, Ma'am,"

Pomfrey shook her head in reluctant amusement as she stood up. "Well, perhaps we should see about importing some new foods into the Hogwarts diet, if it gives all of our students the ability to rebound like you."

The girl laughed once, before wincing and gingerly bringing an arm to cover her tender torso. "Oww," she said succinctly.

"'Oww' indeed," the healer agreed, nodding sagely.

* * *

"Sarah! Oh my gosh are you ok you're not supposed to be awake right now-"

"Jen! ...stop, breath. Also no hugs. Ribs remember?"

When Jenelle had burst into the infirmary that afternoon, Sarah had been slightly afraid of being tackled and summarily put through an extreme amount of _ouch_. Indeed, the other girl had been quickly making her way to her side and Sarah was very afraid of the gleam in Jenelle's eyes, a gleam that shouted ' _you are not getting out of a hug, Sarah!_ '

Fortunately for Sarah's recovery, Jenelle paused at her warning and, somewhat miffed, came to a standstill at her bedside.

The newfound Slytherin girl pulled out her wand and waved at the partition separating the cots around them, which had been left open at Sarah's request.

Sarah had only a second to worry about what was coming next before Jenelle sat down on the stool near her head. Immediately, Sarah noticed two things: one, Jenelle was distressed. And two, Jenelle was _pissed_.

"Don't kill me," Sarah blurted out.

She received a death-glare for her efforts. "I am not going to kill you, Sarah," she said, each word deliberate and measured. "You nearly died, and the only one that still needs to be buried six feet under is Black."

 _Ohhh no._

"Jenelle," Sarah said, trying to calm the other girl down. "I'm okay."

"You're not!" Sarah was startled by the vehemence in Jenelle's voice but kept trying. Sighing, she held out her hand, which was instantly grabbed and squeezed.

"Okay, maybe I'm not okay," she could admit that, "but I'm not dead, and I'll be fine."

The hands grasping hers were shaking. Sarah looked at her friend, seeing tears running down reddened cheeks.

"It was my choice to go up there, Jen. Even if Sirius and James pushed me to, when have you ever known me to do something if I secretly didn't want to try anyway?"

"Why did you go through with it?" Jenelle demanded, looking her dead in the eye. Sarah shrugged, trying to play tough.

"Because it's a stupid fear that I need to get over."

Jenelle scoffed, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. "Everyone has fears, Sarah! It's natural! People who almost get killed trying to get over their fears, on the other hand, is not natural!"

Sarah didn't have a response for that. She knew that she had been stupid, but didn't like admitting it. She tried for something else instead.

"At least it wasn't my horrible flying skills that did it, right?" she offered, trying to joke.

 _Nope, still not amused. Damn, she's ticked._

Jenelle got extremely sarcastic, her words becoming a scathing drawl. "Oh sure, _Waterbrooke,_ like it's so much better you got a sabotaged broom, that makes me feel so much better."

"Wait, what? What do you mean? I thought it was just wonky!"

Jenelle became more serious, calming down and retaking her friend's hand in her own. "Sarah," she whispered. "Someone messed with your broom."

Sarah couldn't think. It's one thing to believe that brooms just hate her, or somehow she got a dud. It was a whole other can of fish knowing that someone wanted to hurt her.

It was the straw that broke the camel's back or in this case, her barely-there composure that she had been fighting for, ever since she had woken up.

"Umm...Jenelle?" There was something lodged in her throat. She could barely swallow from the pressure.

"Yeah?"

"I umm, I..." Oh God, she was crying.

Jenelle leaned forward to hug her as best as she could, mindful of the smaller girl's torso. "Hey, it's okay," she soothed, running her hand down Sarah's hair.

"I-I told, Pomfrey," she hiccuped, "I told her I was o-okay. But, but I'm not." Her sentence trailed off into a soft wail. Jenelle shushed her as best as she could, comforting words falling like soothing rain and washing away the panic she had found herself in.

When almost a minute had passed, Sarah pushed herself away, more in control of herself. Jenelle looked reluctant to let go but didn't protest.

Sarah, a bit embarrassed at having cried, gave a muttered thanks just as Madam Pomfrey pushed aside the curtains at the foot of the cot, stepping inside and eyeing the scene in front of her.

Sarah now felt even more embarrassed but tried to make eye contact with the nurse, who just sighed and shook her head.

"Well, I suppose as long as you were honest with someone," she groused. Jenelle looked happy to have helped, smiling brightly down at Sarah.

"Awww, you waited for me?"

"No!" she denied quickly.

"Miss Waterbrooke insisted that she held no emotional trauma from her experience."

"Please stop calling it trauma." Sarah tried to cross her arms, but winced; her ribs were still too sore.

"I'll call it whatever I want to Miss Waterbrooke, I am, after all, the professional Healer."

Sarah sighed. "Yes Ma'am."

Pomfrey checked all her vitals again, Jenelle listening and asking anxious questions over and over. Sarah should have probably tuned in more, but to be honest all she wanted to do was be in her own bed in the Gryffindor Tower, or better yet, Deerfield dorm back in Ilvermorny.

Her daydreams about late nights shared with friends on the mountainside were interrupted by a pointedly cleared throat. Sarah startled, snapping back to attention to see Madam Pomfrey eyeing her critically.

"Sorry Ma'am," Sarah apologized, smiling sheepishly.

Jenelle shook her head, feeling a wave of secondhand embarrassment for her friend.

The mediwitch had a pinched look, but didn't comment. "I was saying, Miss Waterbrooke, that you will be free to go after dinner tonight but you will need to take a regimen of potions every meal for the next week, Blood-Replenishing potions and the like. Professor Slughorn will be brewing them personally so you should probably thank him in person as well. I'd rather that you have one of your housemates make sure you keep to your schedule, also with someone that can help escort you to the showers and such during your first few days."

"Oh," Sarah said. "That's fine, umm, well Lily Evans can help me with the bathroom and stuff, and I'm sure Remus or Sirius wouldn't mind helping me with the potions."

"Sarah, no!" Startled, Sarah looked up at Jenelle who had burst out into a very uncommon shout.

Jenelle kept up her protest, her disbelief palpable. "You can not seriously tell me that you're going to rely on _Black_ of all people!"

"Wait, what?"

"That dick shouldn't be within twenty feet of you!"

"Miss Montagnard!" Pomfrey cut off Jenelle with a stern look. "I will not have you yelling and cursing while in my infirmary!"

Jenelle looked contrite, blushing and ducking her head down. Sarah stared at her friend for a second before turning to the mediwitch and smiling.

"Can we have a minute, Ma'am? I swear, no shouting or swearing." She tried to seem as sincere as possible, and after a few moments, the older woman nodded stiffly and turned to leave.

Jenelle couldn't help but giggle a little when Sarah quickly dropped her smile and scowled dramatically, working out the muscles of her jaws in an overdone fashion. Sarah mock-scowled at Jenelle but became serious again. The blonde, reading the atmosphere, seemed prepared to be stubborn.

"Jeneeeeeeeelle."

"What."

"What happened?"

"Black is a complete jackass, that's what!"

"Not surprising, but doesn't really help me here, or answer my question."

Jenelle was agitated, Sarah could see that easily, but she was surprised by just how much she was pissed. It took a special kind of thing to get her friend worked up like that.

"What did he say, exactly?" Sarah ventured slowly.

Jenelle was seething as she bit out her response. "He- He said that the only reason we're friends is because I'm using you."

 _Whaaa?_

"Well," Sarah blinked "I guess this means homicide then. You'll be providing the alibi, of course."

"Please do it."

"I just might," Sarah growled, but then she sighed, lifting a hand to gently pinch the bridge of her nose. "No, no," she grumbled, "no murder. Murder is bad. And illegal I guess."

Jenelle smiled cheerfully. "Only if you get caught!" she pointed out.

"This is weird," Sarah mused thoughtfully. "Usually it's me that advocates violence and you doing the talking down, not vice versa."

Jenelle simply shrugged. "Special case."

The girl shook her head from her place on the cot. "Look, as much as I would love to see blood fly, it wouldn't change anything, he'd still be a jackass. Let me talk to him first."

"Why the hell would you do that?" Jenelle looked completely shocked, and Sarah knew it was because her idea was very out of left field for the normally hit-first-talk-later Asian.

"I want him to apologize to you sincerely, and he's not gonna do that unless I drill it into his head exactly how much of an ass he was."

Jenelle went silent at that, looking at Sarah with an unreadable face, and Sarah squirmed uncomfortably. "You deserve an apology," she threw out, hoping that the blonde would stop with the strange atmosphere.

Jenelle finally smiled a true, gentle smile, and bent down to give her friend the smallest hug.

"Thanks, Sarah."


	16. Chapter 16 - Setting the Record Straight

CHAPTER 16 - Setting the Record (And Everyone) Straight

"She's awake!"

James had burst into the Gryffindor boys dorm, his shout startling everyone in the vicinity. Sirius lifted the book that had been covering his face from the last hour, fixing his eyes on his mate.

"Waterbrooke?" he demanded, wanting to make sure he wasn't jumping the wand.

James nodded emphatically, his hair swishing wildly up and down. "Evans just passed on the message, she wants to talk to you and me, Pads."

Sirius jumped off his bed, racing forwards and grabbing his squawking friend by the sleeve of his robe. "Let's get going then!"

The two of them raced down the stairs, flying past a highly unimpressed Evans and out the portrait. From there it was a brief sprint to the Infirmary, though he and James were panting by the time they'd arrived.

Surprisingly, they were met at the entrance by Peter and Remus.

Wormtail looked awful; twitchier than usual with a clammy sheen to his skin. Remus looked troubled, but not nearly as bad, raising an eyebrow at their explosive entrance.

"Did Lily actually tell you to run?" Remus questioned, and James shook his head, unable to use his words since he was breathing too harshly.

"Well anyway," the werewolf continued, "Lily and I were dropping by to visit, only to find Montagnard and Waterbrooke holding a conversation. Apparently, Waterbrooke should still be under the effects of Draught of the Living Death but she woke up early. Madam Pomfrey was having kittens trying to figure out why."

James wheezed out a laugh, his hands on his knees. Sirius, however, had frozen at the utterance of Montagnard's name. "Is she still here?" he hissed out.

Remus glared disapprovingly at him. "No," he stressed. "Waterbrooke asked her to leave so that she could talk to all four of us alone. Apparently, Je- _Montagnard_ informed her about your little White Knight show out there in the hall, and she has something to say about it."

Sirius bit out a curse. So the Slytherin chit had already started manipulating things in her favor? Well, Waterbrooke wasn't a fool, all he had to do was tell her what had really happened and she'd believe them for certain.

"Well what are we waiting for?" he said impatiently, brushing past the others and into the main room.

As he entered he quickly scanned his surroundings, spying a figured laid up on the cot closest to the windows. It was Waterbrooke.

Sirius couldn't help but falter in his steps as he took her in.

 _No more blood. She looks fine. Thank Merlin._

He broke into a grin, striding forward while throwing out his arms. "Waterbrooke!"

She turned to look at him, pinning him with a stare. Behind him, Sirius could hear the others coming up short as well.

"Oh good, you're here," she stated flatly.

Sirius scowled, "Look, whatever your friend told you it's no-"

"Don't you worry about what Jenelle did or didn't tell me, we sure as hell are gonna get to that, but first, I've got something to say to you and James in particular."

James snuck up beside Sirius at that looking wary. "And what might that be?"

"I'm sorry."

Everyone was stunned, no one more than James and Sirius.

"Sorry?" James choked out, looking at her like she was crazy, "why in blighting bludgers are you saying sorry?!"

"Ehh," she shrugged, "I figured I ruined the tryouts after my, uh, spectacle, so I thought I should apologize."

Sirius was starting to think that her head injury had caused a few lingering issues.

"S-spectacle? You nearly died Waterbrooke!" he exploded.

She flinched back, and Sirius immediately felt guilty. He slowly made his way toward her, grateful that she let him approach without argument.

She finally spoke when he sat down on the cot across from her. "I know," she whispered, looking away and out the window. "Jenelle and Madam Pomfrey already told me the damage. I'm gonna be on some heavy-duty potions for a while until I can say I'm back to a hundred percent."

"Anything you need, we'd be glad to help," Remus spoke up. The three other boys had moved forward as well and were surrounding her cot in various positions.

"I'll probably be taking you up on that. Thank, Remus." She shot Moony a grateful smile, and Sirius felt an unexpected sliver of jealousy pierce his heart.

"So, what did you want to talk to us about, Sarah?" he asked, bringing her attention successfully back to him, where it belonged.

"Oh yeah, about that." She seemed suddenly extremely pissed and fixed her eyes past Sirius' shoulder. Curious, he turned his head to spy Peter a few feet away. His posture was hunched and his gaze averted to the floor.

"Peter Pettigrew," her voice cut through the air like daggers, "the only reason I haven't spoken to Dumbledore yet is that for some stupid-ass reason, I thought I'd listen to your side of the story first."

"Woah, hey there Waterbrooke, let's back up for a second." James had come to stand between her and their friend, shielding him from her eyes. "Just what exactly are you insinuating here?"

She ignored him, looking right through James as if he were invisible. "Peter, either tell the truth here or do it in front of Dumbledore. Did you mess with that broom?"

Sirius couldn't believe his ears, what was she saying? "Sarah, no, you've got it all wrong," he defended, holding his arms out placatingly. "Peter's not that kind of bloke, he'd never do something like that! Where'd you even get the notion? Did Montagnard say somet-"

"No, Sirius, she did not." He shut his mouth. Sarah looked deathly serious. He turned to Peter instead.

"Peter, for Merlin's sake, would you tell Sarah that you had nothing to do with yesterday?" he demanded, confident in his friend's innocence.

Peter was as white as a sheet, stuttering and wringing his hands over and over.

"I-I, I didn't, I could never, I ca-no, I,"

Sirius felt something like dread curling in his gut; Peter could barely get a sentence out. Why? He didn't do anything, so why couldn't he just say it?

"Peter."

Wormtail froze like a scared deer. Everyone turned to look at Sarah, who had spoken so softly. She no longer looked pissed, in fact, she just looked tired.

"Please," she said simply. "I'm, well, I can't say I'm not pretty freakin' peeved, but just-" She cut off, frustrated, before trying again. "I don't think you meant it, right? You're not that kind of person."

"This is ridiculous!" Sirius was starting to get ticked at the whole situation. Waterbrooke for her crack-brained accusation, Peter for his normal inability to stand up for himself, and even James and Remus, who had stayed silent, their faces slowly mutating with horror.

"Peter didn't do it, Waterbrooke! It was an accident! It was just a faulty broom, or maybe even your subpar flying skills!"

"I didn't mean to."

Time froze. Everyone seemed to hold their breath at the tiny, whispered confession that had broken through Sirius' tirade.

Slowly, Sirius turned his entire body around. He could see Peter, sitting with his knees pulled up towards his chest on the floor. He was speaking into his lap, his head was buried in his arms, but no one missed his next words.

"It was an accident. I didn't mean to. I didn't know you'd fall so badly, I just-"

He paused, before whispering even more quietly.

"I just wanted my friends back."

Sirius felt his heart shatter.

Sarah wanted to break something.

Looking at Pettigrew, listening to him confess to her almost murder, sounding so damn pitiful while he begged for forgiveness, watching as the other Marauders gazed at him with disbelief and growing disgust. Sarah almost wanted the thing she would break to be Peter Pettigrew's stupid heart.

Almost.

In one of the most difficult decisions of her life, she reigned in her temper, her justified anger, and really thought about the consequences. Then she thought some more. Then, groaning inwardly, she made her decision.

"Come here."

Peter looked up from where he had been practically groveling on the floor, his wide eyes staring incomprehensibly at her.

She beckoned him with a hand. "Come. Here."

Slowly, ever so slowly, Pettigrew stood, each step towards her frightened and shaky. When he finally reached her bed, she patted the space next to her, staring him in the eyes.

"Sit."

He sat.

Sirius made a move, to pull Pettigrew away from her side, to ask her not to hurt his friend, she didn't know, but she held up a hand towards him and he backed away, his face a mess of emotions.

"Pettigrew." She tried to catch his eye, but he was looking down, tears falling silently.

She sighed. "Peter."

Finally, his gaze crawled up to meet her. In that moment, for once, Sarah did not see a future murderer, a Death Eater in the making, a man that would betray his closest friends for his own personal safety. She just saw a scared, young teenager. A boy that believed that he had just lost the only people in his life that cared about him. A person who believed that very soon he would be expelled from the one place he had ever been happy.

It was uncomfortably enlightening, but it did the job of making her decision easier.

"I'm not going to tell Dumbledore."

Peter gaped at her, a response mirrored by the three other boys.

"What? I don't, why?" he stuttered out, looking like the rug had just been pulled from under him.

"Why did you give me a cursed broom?"

He flinched, but her words had not been angry, merely curious, and it seemed to give him the courage to answer.

"I was scared," he admitted. "I thought the others were leaving me behind. I thought they were going to forget about me, and I know it wasn't your fault Waterbrooke, I know that, but it just, it just felt like..."

"Like if I was out of the picture things could go back to the way they used to be?" she finished, and he nodded sadly.

"Wormy, Peter." James laid a tentative hand on Pettigrew's shoulder, looking horrified. "We'd never do that, where did you even get that idea?"

"I'm sorry!" he burst out into fresh tears, curling in on himself. "I just wanted to embarrass you so that the others wouldn't want to spend time with you anymore. I never meant for you to get hurt, you've got to believe me!"

"I believe you."

Peter didn't seem to hear her through his wails, but the others did. She paid them no mind though, she had a more immediate problem to deal with.

"Pettigrew, Pettigrew. Peter will you shut up for one second!"

He jerked up, startled, and she jumped at the opportunity.

"It was an accident, I can get that. You didn't want to lose your friends, I really, really, get that. You didn't want to talk to me face-to-face, I, unfortunately, get that too."

"If I swear to you not to tell Dumbledore what happened, do you promise to take your punishment from me instead?"

He gulped, her words had been intentionally ominous. Remus shifted, moving forward warily. "Sarah..." he warned.

"I-I promise." He looked terrified but sincere, and Sarah nodded solemnly.

"Alright." And with that, she began slapping him furiously every which way.

"Ow! Ow! Hey! OWW!" Peter lifted his arms in a futile effort to defend himself, but Sarah rained down unrelenting upon him, aiming for arms, sides, head, until finishing with a resounding 'SMACK' across the cheek that sent him tumbling off the bed and into James.

Sirius was staring at her again, some kind of emotion in his eyes that she had no idea how to interpret, so she just shrugged.

"He did deserve it," she pointed out.

It broke him out of his reverie and he suddenly starting laughing, throwing his arms around his stomach as he doubled over. Remus joined him, guffawing loudly and leaning against the wall for support. On the floor, James and Peter were amassed in a pile of cloth and limbs, staring up dumbfounded at the spectacle. Eventually, James shook his head, letting out a chuckle himself before grabbing Pettigrew's arm to haul them both up.

He looked at Sarah appraisingly, and she met him tit for tat. After a few seconds he nodded and moved forward to shake her hand in his own, his voice sincere.

"Thank you Waterbrooke, we won't forget this."

"Ohhhhh, you better not," she said meaningfully. "We've still got to talk about Jenelle after all this."

Sirius' laughter cut off abruptly as he paled. "Shit," he uttered.

"Damn straight."


	17. Chapter 17 - The Lady Doth Protest

CHAPTER 17 - The Lady Doth Protest

When Jenelle had arrived back at the infirmary she had not expected to run into the Marauders so soon. She immediately tensed, prepared for a square-off when they noticed her presence. So she was rightfully taken aback when Black, instead of sneering at her, widened his eyes before sheepishly ducking his head.

 _What the hell is his deal?_ she thought to herself, still wary.

"Err, Montagnard, hi." Black stood up but wasn't moving. Then Sarah reached out to smack his thigh.

He yelped, looking down in a wounded fashion but her friend opened her eyes wide in a meaningful way, tilting her head towards Jenelle.

"Right," Black grumbled, before turning to face Jenelle head on. She was surprised yet again when he bowed his head low and shouted "Sorry!", to go with the gesture.

"Jenelle Montagnard, I'd like to formally apologize," he was speaking to the floor so she couldn't make out the expression on his face, but he sounded completely sincere.

She was thrown. "...What?" she eventually said.

"I was out of line with what I said, and I'm sorry." He had straightened up, and now she got a good look at his face. Judging by his grimace, he was obviously uncomfortable with what he was saying, but she had to give him props when he kept at it.

"It wasn't my place to judge you or Sarah's relationship, and I said some pretty harsh things, so, forgive me?" He looked like he really hoped she would put him out of his misery by saying yes.

She didn't know how to respond. She was shocked that Sarah had somehow gotten the jackass to actually _admit_ he was wrong. She was ticked that he thought he could get off that easy and deep inside, but she was also a little touched. Just a little.

"So...that thing you said about all Slytherin's being untrustworthy backstabbers?" she checked. Black's eyes instantly went wide and he tried to subtly gesture at her to shut up but it was far too late.

"You said _what!?_ " Sarah exclaimed.

"I just said I was wrong!" he exclaimed but was met with a pillow to the face, via an irate Sarah who quickly doubled over in pain. Jenelle rushed forward, stepping over a downed Black. Although not quite carefully enough to avoid stepping on him.

 _Serves you right, dingus._

"I'm okay, I'm okay, _whewwww_." Sarah batted away Jenelle's fluttering hands, already being propped up by a helpful Potter.

"What were you thinking you moron, you could have injured yourself!" Jenelle exclaimed, annoyed at the girl in front of her.

"I'm already injured. Hence, ow."

"Obviously, dumb-butt."

"Must you add emotional pain on top of the physical?" Sarah asked completely deadpan. Jenelle shook her head, exasperated.

"Umm, a little help down here?" Jenelle swiveled her head to look down and sure enough, there was Black, looking put out at being ignored. Jenelle huffed, and turned away pointedly, ignoring the pathetic sight on the floor.

"Ouch," snickered Potter, moving away from Sarah's bedside to help his friend. "That was cruel, Montagnard."

"You're saying he doesn't deserve it?" she sniffed under her breath. She was startled when someone else snuck up behind her.

"Jenelle."

Remus' voice was neither judging nor expectant, but Jenelle felt a sliver of guilt.

"...fine," she sighed, before turning and crossing her arms. Sirius straightened up immediately, looking completely earnest as he awaited her judgement.

"...You're forgiven." She wanted to follow up with another retort, but nothing came to mind, so she simply ignored him and made a sweep of the room with her eyes.

"Hey, why are you so far away, Peter?"

Everyone tensed up. There was an awkward sort of air suffusing the infirmary; Remus was looking down and away, Potter bit his lip, and Black clenching a fist at his side. All three boys then turned to look at Sarah, who was busy smoothing out the sheets that had pooled in her lap.

 _What's going on here? I missed something._

"Ehh, I think he's got a stomachache, don't worry about it," Sarah friend waved away Jenelle's question and out of the corner of her e, e she spotted Peter slumping in relief, along with the other Marauders. Highly suspicious, she gave Sarah a look, but the Asian refused to budge.

"Well... I hope you feel better soon Peter," she offered, and the boy nodded nervously.

"Ah, thank you, Montagnard."

"Anyway, I was hoping I could talk to Sarah, if you guys don't mind?"

Her unspoken ' _without all of you here'_ was easy to discern. Remus was the one to usher his friends out, against fervent protests from Black. As he passed her, Remus briefly laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and Jenelle felt a thrill of excitement pass from his hand to her heart. He gave her a quick smile, and then he and the others were gone, leaving her alone with Sarah.

She turned her head, having watched Remus up until the moment he had stepped out of sight, and was met by an extremely cat-like grin.

"Oh shut up, Sarah."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it!"

"Very true."

Jenelle groaned good-naturedly, and moved to sit on one of the beds. "What exactly did you sayto Black?" she wondered as she made herself comfortable. "I never in a million years expected him to apologize."

Sarah gave a hum and a one-shoulder shrug, trying to play things off. "Not much really. I just had a talk about how we met, a couple things about life before you, that kind of stuff."

"...You told them about angry-Sarah?" She couldn't help but sound surprised. Sarah from the years before Ilvermorny was still kind of a touchy topic for the other girl, despite her work towards becoming more open about it.

"Thought it was appropriate" was all Sarah answered with. "Anyway, it worked. James and Sirius seem to get things better now; I don't think they'll be causing us any problems with hanging out in the future. Can't say the same for your Slytherins, but I'm not a miracle worker."

"Good enough for me for now," Jenelle smiled.

* * *

Peter had hoped (oh had he _hoped)_ but he knew that there was no escaping the conversation that was coming. Instead of heading back to the dorm, James had led them all silently outside, past the Whomping Willow to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Every step felt like a noose tightening around his neck, preventing him from speaking. He could only march towards his doom in silence, praying that whatever happened next...

 _Just, please. Please don't let them leave me._

When they were finally far away enough for James to be satisfied he turned around, pinning Peter with a serious look. Peter trembled but did not look away. He knew that he deserved whatever was coming next.

"Peter."

Sirius and Remus were looking at him too, Remus more pityingly than Sirius. Padfoot looked like he could decide whether to lay him out or not.

"I'm sorry!" Peter broke the staring contest to look down at the moonlit grass below his feet. "I can't even begin telling you how sorry I am."

"You nearly got her _killed_ Wormtail!" Sirius' restraint finally broke, coming up to him and grabbing the front of his robes with both hands. "Do you have any idea how close you came to fucking yourself and everything else to high hell!? She could have died! You'd have been expelled, sent to bloody _Azkaban_ even! Everything would have gone to shit just because you, what, didn't _trust_ us? Your own mates?!"

"Waterbrooke may have forgiven you, and she may have promised not to tell Dumbledore, but we're still right pissed with you," Remus added in that special steady voice he used only when he was truly angry. Peter trembled in Sirius' grasp, looking to James for help, but Prongs only shook his head.

"You're lucky, luckier than a damned _Felix Felicias,_ Wormtail. We all are, this time."

"I know!" he wailed, the guilt and the anguish overwhelming him completely. "I was wrong to doubt you all, I was wrong to blame my problems on Waterbrooke, I was wrong not to tell you about it, I was wrong!" He sniffled, feeling tears welling in his eyes. "Waterbrooke, she had no reason to cover for me. She had every right to go to the Headmaster and get me thrown out of Hogwarts, but _she didn't_."

He looked Sirius in the eyes, who had stopped shaking him, but hadn't let go yet.

"I," he swallowed, not sure how to get his next words out. "I think you should go for it, Padfoot. For real."

Sirius looked confused. "The hell are you on about, Peter?" he demanded.

"I mean Waterbrooke, _Sarah_ , she's a pretty amazing person, Pads. I can see that now and I think, maybe she'd be good for you."

Peter had the rare opportunity to see Sirius Black looking entirely flummoxed, a small blush appearing on his cheeks.

"Wh-what? I don't," he sputtered for a second, letting go of Peter to back up a few steps to point an incredulous finger his way. "How the hell did we move from you being a right cunt to me dating Waterbrooke!?"

James snickered at that, sharing a look with Remus. "Aww, look at the poor bloke Moony, methinks the maiden doth protest entirely too much."

"Forsooth, my good man," Remus nodded sagely, crossing his arms in a wise manner. "It seems as though you are correct, see how he denies his feelings even now."

"Screw you Moony!" Sirius screeched, "if anything, let's discuss the blatant fraternization between you and Montagnard!"

"Ah, a deflection. A sure sign of admission. Perhaps he is more gone than we had first expected, Prongs."

"Indeed, indeed. Really Pads, if you wanted to have more than a fling with Waterbrooke, I'm more than happy to give you my blessing."

"Here, here."

"Err, me too," Peter piped in. Sirius spun around to glare at him, and he squeaked.

" _Not a word, Pettigrew._ " Sirius looked like he was going to throttle Peter again, but was held back when James threw an arm around the boy's shoulders.

"Aww, come on Pads, think of how great it'd be!" James threw out his other arm to wave at the stars above them. "You and me, on a double-date with Waterbrooke and Evans, Remus and Montagnard in the background, Peter, well, we'd find a nice bird for Peter," he shrugged, but Peter didn't mind. He was just happy that James had included him at all.

Sirius actually seemed to be contemplating the unlikely scenario, his hand absentmindedly stroking his chin.

"Tigerlily and Waterlily, the fiesty flowers of the Marauders. It _does_ have a nice ring to it..." he mused. James gasped, squealing like a first-year.

"Oh my Merlin Pads, I love it!" he exclaimed, wrapping Sirius in a bear hug, to which Sirius only tokenly struggled.

Nearby, Remus snorted. "Oh wonderful, look what you've done now Peter."

Pettigrew snapped his gaze hopefully where Moony was side-eyeing him. Peter could see clearly that his friend was joking and he nearly cried with relief. It seemed that he had been forgiven, despite everything. Sure, he and his friends still had some things to work out, their trust had been shaken like never before, but he was positive they would be able to work through it.

 _I swear, guys, I'll never do something so foolish as doubting you again._


	18. Chapter 18 - The Interest of a Cobra

CHAPTER 18 - The Interest of a Cobra is a Deadly Thing

Sarah had _not_ been expecting another visitor after the day she had. Quite a few classmates had dropped by to say hello or check up on her, and Sarah was secretly touched and shocked that so many people had been genuinely worried about her well-being.

But it was well past dinner now and she was ready to get back to classes tomorrow. According to Madam Pomfrey, she only had to stay this final night under observation, but then she would be allowed to head to her dorm under supervision from Lily in the morning. She was looking immensely forward to it; time alone in the infirmary had been mind-numbing, to say the least.

She had been composing a list of things she would need for her classes tomorrow when the doors to the healing wing creaked open. Thinking it was Pomfrey, she looked up casually, only to nearly choke at the figure that was highlighted by the glow of the torches behind him.

"Err, hello…?" Her awkward greeting was met with an unimpressed look, a face that seemed to be a permanent fixture in the guise of one Lucius Malfoy.

"Charming," he drawled as he stepped into the room, eying his surroundings with a mild distaste. Sarah automatically felt annoyed but tried her best to be polite.

"Aha, sorry, I'm not at my best." She gestured towards herself and he gazed at her critically. She had absolutely no idea why the pure-blooded Slytherin was here, but he was starting to creep her out.

"...May I help you?" she eventually asked. He was silent for a moment before he made his way over to her. She tensed when he took a seat in the chair near the foot of her bed, claiming it like a prince would a throne.

He smirked at her, and Sarah smiled back tightly.

 _Two can play this game, you little shit._

"I couldn't help but be slightly curious, Miss Waterbrooke." His opening line gave away nothing since there were many things he could be referencing.

"Not much to be curious about, I'm a pretty straightforward girl for the most part."

"Indeed, a rather Gryffindor-ish trait." She could easily see what he thought about _that_.

"Well, I'd like to think that getting to the heart of the matter saves everyone time."

"And yet I notice that there are a few inconsistencies when it comes to you and Miss Montagnard," he countered smoothly. She fluttered her eyes slightly as they widened.

"Inconsistencies? What exactly do you have questions about?"

He stared her down imperiously, his platinum hair catching the candlelight. "I couldn't help but be curious when you two were introduced at the beginning of the term. I must admit, I've never heard of the family Waterbrooke, nor Montagnard. For all that, your friend insists that you are from a pure-blooded background."

His eyes were challenging, but she wasn't quite certain why. Oh sure, she understood his basic motivations but why wasn't he having this conversation with Jenelle? _She_ was the Slytherin, not her.

Unless…

"Well, I can't imagine why you'd have heard of us in the first place. It's not as if we're one of the Original Twelve."

He looked curious then. "The Original Twelve?" he prompted.

"Oh you know, similar to your Sacred Twenty-Eight, but the Twelve are descended from America's first twelve Aurors."

"And you can not claim to be a part of their illustrious parentage?" he was scrutinizing her closely. She shrugged.

"Not at all, we just go to the same school," she said, and it was true. Her family, while important in its own right was not on the level of the Twelve, whose fame was known from LA to NYC.

His eyes gleamed and Sarah suddenly regretted her last sentence with a passion.

"Is that so?" He leaned forward, propping his chin on one hand while gazing at her. "Friends of yours, then?"

She hesitantly nodded, extremely wary. "What of it?"

He shrugged. "It just seems to me that those of such importance rarely spend time in the company of those lesser than them. Which leads me to wonder, if you can claim those individuals as colleagues, then perhaps you were not being entirely truthful about the state of your own family's position and power."

 _The hell kind of logical leap is that?_

"You've caught me" she stated flatly, leaning forward and ignoring the faint twinge in her ribs.

"It's true. I'm nothing more than a hustling gold-digger, surrounding myself with people leagues above me in the hopes of advancing myself and my family to greater heights. Why else would I associate with the likes of idiots like James Potter and Sirius Black unless I was hoping to suck them dry for every sickle and cent they have."

The last thing she expected was for him to _laugh_ , and laugh he did, short as it was. He seemed quite amused at her words as he withdrew to lean against the back of his chair.

"No need to be so tetchy, darling," he admonished.

"Don't call me 'darling,' _darlin'_ " she drawled, shooting him a glare. He didn't rise to her challenge, unfortunately.

"How precious, an Oriental with an American Southern drawl. You're quite the odd little chimera, aren't you?"

"You wanna know what Southerners do with uppity little mustangs like yourself?" She grinned viciously. "We _break_ them."

He laughed again. "Again, so charming," he retorted, raising an eyebrow at her. "I must say, you're a bit different from your other hard-headed Gryffindors cohorts. _Subtlety_ isn't exactly a prevailing trait in the house of the lion."

She winced, it was unfortunately true.

"Can't argue there," she agreed, "most of my classmates can't talk their way out of a wet paper bag, and don't even get me started on 'tact.' It's like it doesn't exist in the Gryffindor dictionary."

"Now now, where's your vaulted house loyalty?"

"With my family, my friends, and with my _real_ house, Malfoy," she stated harshly.

He looked contemplative, taking her in for a few seconds. She waited impatiently.

"Thunderbird, yes?" he eventually breathed, and she couldn't help feeling surprised.

"How did you know?"

"A little tidbit that Narcissa picked up from Jenelle. The house of _adventurers_ , correct?"

"Trailblazers, pathfinders, people who aren't afraid to strike out on their own, is there a _point_ you're trying to make?" Sarah was fed up now. She was no closer to understanding why he had come here, and frankly she was tired of playing word games.

"I was just thinking that perhaps a Thunderbird like yourself would not be opposed to discussing a new venture or two," he hedged, looking at her appraisingly. She turned her head away to side-eyeball him, not sure where he was going with that.

"Ah well, another time perhaps." He suddenly stood, breaking the tense atmosphere and leaving her fumbling to recover.

She stared wide-eyed at him as he made his way to the side of her bed. She was left even more shocked when he lifted her hand to place a small kiss on the back.

"You've been a rather delightful conversation partner, Miss Waterbrooke, against all of my reservations. Perhaps there is hope for a mutually beneficial alliance between us after all."

She had no idea what to say.

"Umm. Sure?"

He smirked, letting her hand go and sweeping dramatically out of the infirmary as quickly as he had appeared, leaving her stunned.

"...That was _weird_ " she finally stated out loud, shaking her head.

She would talk to Jenelle tomorrow about her strange-as-hell housemate and just what kind of angle he was playing at. It couldn't be anything good if it was coming from that historically infamous twat.

Besides, he has mentioned being interested in their backgrounds, a dangerous territory for any stranger to be entering, especially someone as manipulative and scheming as the infamous Lucius Malfoy.


	19. Chapter 19 - Succumb to the New Norm

CHAPTER 19 - Succumb to the New Norm

"Hey, Montagnard! Could I borrow a moment?"

Jenelle turned as she shuffled down the corridor toward the Slytherin common room in the dungeons. Narcissa and Regulus had jogged ahead to catch up with a particularly grumpy Severus and had left Jenelle behind to ogle at the portraits that lined the walls of the castle at almost every possible open space.

She saw a tousled, fair-haired boy skipping to a stop before her. It was Remus!

 _I'm not excited. Nope, not me._

He seemed particularly more nervous and unsure of himself whilst alone than when he was surrounded by his Gryffindor brothers. Jenelle noticed his tie was loosened under his collar and only one of his shirt sleeves was rolled up above his elbow.

He smiled sheepishly and Jenelle returned the gesture.

"Remus? What's going on? You know, you're dangerously close to the Slytherin common room, you may start shedding your skin and speaking in tongues," she teased.

Remus laughed quietly and ran a hand through his messy, cornsilk hair.

"Ha, well yes. I'm glad I could catch you before having to ask a younger Slytherin for a favor. I'm not sure they would oblige."

"No, you're probably right."

There was a pause in which Remus was making uncomfortably steady eye contact. Jenelle shuffled her feet where she stood and tried to read his expression but he seemed lost in thought.

"Yes?" she pushed.

"Oh! Bugger, I'm sorry. I just...I wanted to apologize again for what happened after that tryout mess. I know Sirius apologized but that one could muck up anything if given half a chance. I just wanted to make absolutely sure there were no hard feelings."

Jenelle shook her head gently. "It's alright, really. I was out of line too, I was just angry about the whole situation, and I was harsher than normal. It's not my best side but Sarah, she and I mean a lot to each other."

Remus was smiling endearingly at her. It made her a little flushed about the face, to be honest, and she hoped he couldn't see any telltale signs of red on her cheeks.

"She cares about you. I can see that. She's talked about you and Ilvermorny quite a lot."

"Did she? All good things I hope," Jenelle laughed.

"Yes, well, if even half the things she said are to be believed, then she has a lot to be grateful to you for."

Remus smiled a genuine grin and Jenelle was taken aback at how much more handsome he was than she had imagined. There were only enchanted images of him in her textbooks back at Ilvermorny that recalled a war this young wizard didn't even know he would be a quintessential part of. In those pictures he was older and more scarred than he was now; with thinning hair and a serious air. There wasn't a hint of the bashful young man Jenelle saw standing before her.

"Is that what you wanted to talk with me about?" Jenelle questioned.

"Ah," Remus started, "no, not quite. I had actually considered offering an olive branch of sorts."

He seemed to be steeling himself for a request and Jenelle held her breath.

"I was hoping, or wondering rather...would you like to perhaps study together in the library sometime?" He finished the appeal by staring down at his feet and back up at the tall witch with his most delicate gray eyes.

 _Isolt above. Who could say no to you, you charming thing?_

Jenelle smiled and pressed her hands against her pleated skirt, feeling a bit bashful herself.

"I would like that, actually. Between taking care of Sarah when I see her and my own workload it's been a bit of a stretch, and I don't want to get too far behind in my studies."

Remus lifted his head to hers and smiled to one side.

"Really? Brilliant! Well, I suppose I'll send an owl? Or no, we are in the same castle aren't we… What would be the best way to send for you?"

Jenelle hadn't really thought about how people kept in touch without smartphones. She hadn't even remembered she had one until just now and she wasn't able to even talk about it. She doubted that 'text' would mean anything to Remus other than a roll of parchment paper.

"Hm, well I think we have Alchemy together, right? If you're not busy afterward maybe we can spend an hour or so in the library after that?" Jenelle was pleased to be on the receiving end of being invited someplace. She wasn't the best at being the instigator of anything.

"Of course! Yes, that would be great." Remus smiled again and shoved his hands into his pant pockets, lifting his shoulders up to his neck. "So, I suppose we'll talk again tomorrow?"

Jenelle grinned and tried to ignore the glares from passing Slytherins who were silently but not so subtly judging the taboo conversing of the rival houses.

"Yep! I'll see you in class. Thanks, Remus."

Remus pressed his lips together bashfully, nodding once more before turning on his heels and taking off up the staircase leading toward the Gryffindor Fat Lady portrait.

 _Oh boy. Wait 'till I tell Sarah about this._

* * *

James was sat in the Great Hall with the rest of the Marauders and their usual cohorts; namely, the effervescent Lily Evans and newly released (from the clutches of Pomfrey) Sarah Waterbrooke. James felt he owed yet another debt of gratitude to the Ilvermorny transfer girl for giving him more moments next to the impossibly perfect redhead of his dreams.

Right now, his goal was to refrain himself from butting in the very entertaining conversation around the table.

"For the last time, Black, I am perfectly capable of helping Sarah so why don't you just go back to what you were doing and leave us _alone_?" said Lily exasperated.

"Aw, come on Evans, Waterlily _wants_ me here, isn't that right sweetie?"

"Actually, I'm kinda wishing you'd go take a short walk off a tall cliff right about now," said Waterbrooke with a deadpan delivery.

James giggled into his beef stew as Sirius cried out, begging to know if what Waterbr-no, _Sarah_ , said was true.

 _Gotta start using her name,_ James thought to himself. _S_ _he deserves it at the very least for what she's done for Peter._

It was October now, some time since the disastrous tryouts and Sarah was well on her way to recovery. Thanks in large part due to Lily, who had descended upon the girl like a mother hen.

Not to mention, she was also metaphorically pecking away at James' best mate.

Sirius had been strangely more or less insistent in his pursuit of Sarah ever since her fall. On one hand, he was rarely outside of five feet away from her at any given moment, making sure to hand her anything she could possibly need, carrying her books or her bag, and just generally making a helpful nuisance of himself. He was also peppering her with even more compliments and innuendos, which led to the other hand.

Sarah was not taking any of his advances well... _seriously._

Granted, Padfoot's style of flirting was so over dramatic it was easy to see why she could confuse his requests for kisses and dates as passing jokes. But whenever she laughed them off or outright denied the poor sap, Sirius would go into a funk and mope furiously.

Last time, Pads had gotten so jealous when Sarah had ditched them to go hang out with Montagnard and the Slytherins he had starting shamelessly flirting with Castella Carmichael, one of his crazier exes from Ravenclaw.

To James' entertainment and Sirius' ire, his ploy had done nothing but convince Carmichael that he was still interested in her loony arse and was now constantly hunting him down between classes to flirt.

The worst, yet absolute _best_ part was that when Sarah finally clued into what was happening, she had taken a single look at the girl from across the classroom, shrugged, and said:

 _"Well, she's pretty hot. I'd think about it, but we have a saying in America: never stick your dick in crazy."_

Sirius had later confessed to James, fuming all the while, that he'd been torn between mortification at the language and near-apocalyptic _fury_ that she had been so blasé about the whole thing. There was also mixed in there some sexual intrigue in the slight possibility that somewhere in his distant future there could be a two-girl threesome.

 _A bloke can dream, right? He couldn't blame Pads for that._

James was wishing _so hard_ that Yule would get here sooner so that he could beg his parents for a camera. So many missed opportunities!

The redhead of his dreams ( _sigh, Lily_ ) had actually started coming over the Marauder's end of the table to give Sarah her potions for the meal, hovering anxiously over her new friend. It was really cute in James' humble opinion, how Evans babied the smaller girl. And surprisingly, Sarah allowed it with a minimum of fuss.

Remus had asked about it, and she had responded with a look of fond nostalgia.

" _She reminds me a lot of another friend of mine back in Ilvermorny," Sarah smiled sheepishly. "Katie basically treats me like a baby sister. As in she literally holds my hand to make sure I don't get hit by a car when we cross the street kind of stuff. Besides, it's sort of nice to get taken care of, once in awhile."_

After that adorable confession, Padfoot hounded after Lily constantly, begging James' unamused redhead to give him the girl's potions so that he could 'play doctor'.

 _Maybe Montagnard was right, Sirius is really not as slick as he thought he was,_ James pondered.


	20. Chapter 20 - Amusing Ancenstry

CHAPTER 20 - Amusing Ancestry

Wednesday morning brought with it a joint Slytherin and Gryffindor Potions class with Professor Slughorn.

Jenelle and Sarah had both reached the classroom early and alone to guarantee a table together, one directly in the center of the classroom to show non-partisan bias towards either house. As the rest of the students slowly filtered in, Jenelle gave a small wave towards Narcissa, who had chosen to sit with Lucius, as usual.

The pureblood Malfoy had been acting a little strange lately, deigning to talk Jenelle every now and again and had even made an off-hand inquiry about Sarah's health when the two had been alone in the Slytherin common room one evening.

Sarah had told Jenelle about the creeper's late-night visit when she had been in the infirmary, and they had both spent some time thinking about how to respond. Eventually, they had decided to play it by ear and when Sarah was completely recovered, they'd analyze the situation more thoroughly.

Still, he really needed to change his standard setting to something other than 'resting bitch-face.' It wasn't doing him any favors.

 _Wonder if he practices in a mirror to get the look just right._

Jenelle's attention was caught by a ruckus near the door; the Marauders had arrived in typical fashion.

James led the pack, swaggering in and sweeping a hand through his mess of dark waves. He was followed closely by Sirius, who had brightened upon seeing Sarah. The look quickly fled when he noticed that the seat next to her was taken by Jenelle who threw him a contemptuous glare.

 _That's right buddy, you just keep walking._

Black's shoulders sagged and his head swung side to side, scanning the room for another spot near _her_ friend.

It wasn't that she hated the guy, not really, but she still thought that he was much too arrogant and small-minded for Sarah. Whatever high standards Sarah had for herself, Jenelle's was tenfold for her closest friend.

Unfortunately, her hope that he would sit far, far away from them was dashed as he walked over to the table next to theirs, forcibly lifted a random squawking Gryffindor from his seat, and depositing him on the floor. Highly unimpressed, both Sarah and Jenelle glared at him. Jenelle hissed " _Seriously?!_ " out the corner of her mouth, but the Gryffin-git only sent a wink their way as he made himself comfortable in his newest acquisition.

Before she could comment more there was the sound of squeaking metal hinges from the front of the room, causing everyone to look up. Slughorn had emerged from the back storage cabinet and was ready to start the class.

* * *

"Miss Waterbrooke, Miss Montagnard, would you mind staying back for just a moment?"

The voice that drifted over the chatter of the departing class stopped Sarah in her tracks. She grabbed Jenelle's elbow, nudging her head in the direction of the professor.

As they headed forward her own arm was caught in a strong grip, and she glanced up in surprise to see Sirius on the end, looking down at her.

"What's up?" she asked, slightly impatient.

His face contorted as if it couldn't exactly figure out what emotion to convey, before settling on something passive.

"Just," he began, before eventually sighing in defeat, his head hanging low. "...nevermind."

Sarah was very confused, and his reluctance to say what was bothering him irked her. She hated waffling. "Are you sure?" she checked one last time.

Before Sirius could answer Jenelle's voice rang out, beckoning her. Sirius gave a grin, though it seemed less than sincere.

"Yeah, don't worry your pretty little head over me Waterlily, see you later!" he said, letting her arm go and heading for the door where the other Marauders were waiting.

Sarah paused until the end of his robes had vanished around the dungeon door. Sarah sniffed and tried put the exchange out of her mind. Instead, she walked towards Jenelle and Slughorn, who looked eager to talk.

"Ah yes, Miss Waterbrooke, thank you for staying behind!" he said cheerfully. He had been busy organizing his table and cleaning up in preparation for his next class but had stopped as soon as Sarah had reached them.

"Not a problem," she replied, curious. "Was something the matter, sir?"

"Oh nothing serious I assure you, but perhaps you could do a small favor for me!" Professor Slughorn reached deep into the sleeve of his velvet robe, and when his hand appeared again it was holding two shining, gilded envelopes.

"Now just between us three," he whispered conspiratorially, "you're probably aware by now, but the Headmaster has briefed the professors on your situation, poor dears. Just know that if you find yourselves in need of anything, don't ever hesitate to ask, hmm?"

Sarah and Jenelle smiled congenially, not sure of how much to divulge.

Slughorn gave a chuckle and raised an eyebrow at Sarah."Don't think I didn't see you and Mr. Black back there, Miss Waterbrooke! You know, if you were my daughter I'd be fending off the poor boy with a beater bat! And you Miss Montagnard," he wagged a finger at Jenelle, "why I do believe I saw young Malfoy expressing more than a passing interest in you today!"

Sarah and Jenelle couldn't help but share a look before breaking into uncomfortable giggles. _Oh, if he only knew._

"Well, aren't you just the sweetest, professor! Thank you kindly" Sarah exclaimed, over exaggerating as she loved to do when she really pushed her drawl. She knew that it entertained people, especially non-Americans, as was evident by Slughorn's delighted laugh.

"Not a problem, my dear! Now, onto business," he said as he handed each girl an envelope. "It's a bit of an open secret, but I thought I would invite you two to one of my little get-togethers. A 'Slug Club' my dear students call it! It will be held on the third Friday of this month, and I'd be just tickled if you two would attend!"

"A Slug Club, professor?" Jenelle's voice showed skepticism. She had opened her envelope to gaze at the card inside. It was heavy stationary of fine quality, and the ink was a brilliant emerald green. In gorgeous cursive, the words 'Y _ou're Cordially Invited'_ could be seen scrawled at the top.

Slughorn continued to talk as they inspected the invitation. "Oh don't let the name fool you, dear. You see, when you've been a teacher for as long as I have, you start to notice the potential shining through particular individuals. But some of those students simply don't have the chance to _grow_ into themselves you understand."

"So one day I said to myself, 'Horace!'" he shook his fist dramatically in the air. "You have a responsibility, nay, a _sacred duty_ to your students, to help them become the best the can be! So I created these events to make sure my students knew that will always have someone that believes and support them!"

He finished his story with a determined nod of his head, looking off into the distance. A good thing too, as behind him, Sarah was silently cracking up at both his theatrics and Jenelle's offended look.

"Well. Thank you, professor," Jenelle said as calmly as she could, sliding the card back into the envelope. "Who'll be attending?" Her smile was tight and uncomfortable.

"Oh I'm sure you'll recognize plenty members, my girl," he assured. "Let's see, our young Narcissa will be in attendance she promised me. I do believe misters Black and Regulus, as well as Mr. Malfoy and my dear boy Severus will be there as well. Oh, and of course Miss Evans is a regular attendee!"

"Sounds great, Professor, we'd love to be there!" Sarah chirped. She was actually happy to finally have a chance to dress up and go out, even if it wasn't exactly ' _going out_ ,' per se.

"Err, Professor, is there some kind of dress code we need to worry about?" Jenelle asked, and Sarah suddenly was hyper-focused as well.

Dumbledore, in an act of extreme benevolence, had allowed them a quick chaperoned trip to Hogsmeade for their essentials when they first fell into 1976. Things like textbooks, uniforms, toiletries, and the like, but they had bought as little as possible, not wanting to take advantage of his charity.

Their worries had been waved aside quickly enough as Dumbledore explained that the school actually had a small stipend for underprivileged students to use. Though it hadn't exactly covered formal clothes and they hadn't wanted to push their luck.

"Oh dear," Slughorn looked a little abashed, "well, to be quite truthful these things _do_ tend to _ressembler a la bourgeoisie._ I must say, I wouldn't want for your two to feel left out just because of something as simple as fashion."

"Oh man, what do we do?" Sarah groaned quietly to herself. They had very little pocket money and buying an entire outfit would kill all their funds, she was sure of it.

"Now now, no need to fret," Slughorn smiled at them. "I might just have a solution; why don't I have a chat with the Headmaster, and see if we three can't sneak in a trip to Madam Malkin's during the upcoming Hogsmeade trip? I will, of course, be footing the bill for you two lovely ladies in return for your presence!"

Both Jenelle and Sarah were shocked, but Sarah recovered quickly. "Oh geez, no, that's too much!" she insisted, and really, it was. Neither she nor Jenelle liked charity all that much, too much dependence, too much owed.

"Yeah, Professor. It's really kind of you, but we have no real way to pay you back, so we really couldn't" Jenelle added, looking flustered.

"Well, I suppose if you really wanted to reimburse me, there was one small thing I've been pondering for weeks." Slughorn looked completely innocent, but neither of them were buying it.

"What exactly is it Professor?" Sarah asked hesitantly.

His look turned playfully sly. "Well now, Dumbledore _did_ say that your current names were not your real ones, so how about this. If you tell me, I promise to make sure you both become the belles of the ball during the party, hmm?"

Sarah and Jenelle both froze: _How could Dumbledore possibly know they had lied?! Oh shit!_

They recovered their expressions, but not quickly enough for Slughorn to miss their facial ticks. Thankfully, all he did was raise an eyebrow and smirk as Jenelle reached for Sarah's arm.

"Umm, would you excuse us for just one sec, Professor?" Slughorn nodded indulgently, and Jenelle dragged Sarah a little ways away for a huddle.

"Jen, let's do it," Sarah said immediately, as soon as they were out of hearing range. Jenelle's jaw dropped.

"What? No! Sarah, that's a stupid idea!"

"You're a stupid idea! And I want nice clothes!"

"Sarah, you do not need nice clothes."

"But I _want_ them."

"Isolt above, Sarah!"

"You do too! Don't deny it."

"...Fine, yes, I want some new clothes. Damn my Head of House, he sees right through our hardened teenage shells of disinterest."

"We must compromise, but _how?_ "

They spent a few more precious seconds bickering before Sarah's head popped up like a niffler.

"Hey Professor, can I make a counteroffer?" Slughorn looked quite amused at their antics and responded positively with an enthusiastic nod.

"Well, it's just..." _Damn, how to word this?,_ Sarah thought. "Jenelle and I don't _need_ to be belles per say, we're more than happy to be uh, well, whatever is slightly lower than that," she laughed weakly.

 _Man, I am not on my game right now._

"Anyway, could we maybe trade _my_ name for a couple of things? It'll likely interest you, Scout's honor!"

Professor Slughorn looked thoughtful, pondering her offer for a moment before answering. "Well, I suppose that would be acceptable, Miss…?" he trailed off meaningfully.

"Done deal," she rushed over to shake his hand enthusiastically. "On behalf of my friend, I, _Sarah Yellowbanks_ , would like to thank you for your generous offer, Professor!"

He was bemused momentarily before a dawning, excited comprehension flooded his face.

"Yellowbanks, _Yellowbanks_. You wouldn't happen to mean the Yellowbanks family that was known for establishing the magical judiciary system of the American South, would you?" His voice could hardly contain his eagerness.

Sarah was surprised; sure she had expected him to recognize the name, but not to the extent that he did.

"One and the same," she confirmed. "My uncle met your old student in Paris, around the 80's I think he said. He mentioned that someone named Worple spoke glowingly of you!"

"Ah, that dear boy! Although, your _uncle_?" he prompted eagerly with another raised eyebrow.

"Oh, Uncle Arbitus," Sarah's face screwed up in thought. "I think, ah, if it's currently 1976, then he should be on assignment in Paris. It wasn't until _after_ Paris that he was sent to East Asia." She smiled, ignoring how Slughorn was practically vibrating in his excitement.

"Well...well!" he exclaimed as he composed himself. "You simply _must_ tell me more at the party Miss Yellowbanks!"

"Ah!" she interjected, looking pointedly up into his glowing face.

"Oh!" he said, holding a finger against his nose and winking at her, "My apologies, Miss _Waterbrooke_."


	21. Chapter 21 - A Trip to Hogsmeade

CHAPTER 21 - A Hogsmeade Trip

"Aww come on Sarah, let's see!"

"No way."

"It can't be that bad. It looked so darling on the hanger!"

"Oh trust me, it's that bad."

Jenelle huffed and crossed her arms. "Would you just come out here?"

The heavy red curtain of the dressing room parted slightly and Sarah's head popped out, a look of lighthearted anguish on her face.

"Please, don't make me do this."

Jenelle had given up begging and simply motioned her pouting friend toward her. The little Asian sulked out onto the dressing room platform, where she was surrounded by towering mirrors with ornate crown molding.

"Oh. Oh wow," was all Jenelle could say as she struggled to keep herself from bursting out into uncontrollable laughter. One fist was pressed up to her mouth and she could feel the burning in her cheeks as she fought the face-splitting grin threatening to make a bad situation worse.

"I told you!" Sarah yelped indignantly.

The dress was terrible. Just awful. It wasn't made for Sarah's particular body type at all. It flared out in odd places and was covered in pastel pink ruffles and sported huge satin bows in far too many places. It was made of some type of shining polyester material that clashed with Sarah's deep olive skin and the only thing more terrifying was the look on her friend's face.

"Alright, I admit, I may have been mistaken."

"YA THINK?!"

"It looked so nice before!"

Sarah stood fiercely still with her hands in fists at her side. "You ALWAYS pick out things for me that YOU secretly want but can't fit into."

Jenelle gasped, feigning being emotional hurt. "Harsh words, Brutus!"

"That reference doesn't even work."

"Whatever! Just go change, I think the ladies in the back over there are starting to laugh," Jenelle turned in her seat to see a few elder witches smiling congenially, but with entirely judgemental eyes.

 _I mean, it is pretty funny._

"UGH," Sarah grunted before throwing the curtain aside and disappearing back into the dressing room.

The girls had come immediately to Madam Malkin's once they made it to Hogsmeade. Mercifully, Slughorn had been caught up in a potions crisis with some first years and was unable to accompany the Thunderbirds.

Instead, he had given them a stipend (well, he had given Sarah a stipend, likely entrusting the most "noble" family with the money) and had sent them on their way with a smile and a wink. Jenelle was so relieved. She hadn't been looking forward to dress shopping with her outspoken Head of House and attracting all sorts of unnecessary attention.

Outside, Hogsmeade was beautiful. The trees were all turning to brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow. There were pumpkins outside every door and dried stalks of corn tied to street lamps. Adorable puffy clouds were floating by in the pale blue sky and there was a light breeze that whisked through the streets.

Autumn was Jenelle's favorite season. She loved the sound of leaves crunching underfoot and the reintroduction of cozy sweaters and oversized, knitted scarves.

And inside Madam Malkin's was exactly how she had imagined it. It was infamously packed with all sorts of dresses, robes, and accessories. Jenelle had already picked out her dress for the Slug party. It had been a struggle to find one that could accommodate her height, but by the time the right dress had been found, her sly friend had already managed to convince the Madam to charm on some additional length for no extra charge.

" _It's just so hard for my friend to find items that fit her,"_ the girl had explained, using a thick layer of Southern charm, " _I would so appreciate if you could help us to make her feel pretty."_

Jenelle had wanted to puke at the density of the request, but left Sarah to work her magic without fuss. And she got a great dress out of the deal so she couldn't really complain.

Sarah's dress, on the other hand, was an entirely different beast.

"How about you stick with that deep red one you tried on first?" Jenelle suggested. "It looked so nice and since it's simple you can dress it up with some kickass boots!"

There was silence on the other side of the curtain which meant Jenelle had made a point that Sarah was considering. Not that she would ever admit it.

"I guess I could try on some boots…" Jenelle heard her say complacently.

Jenelle smiled and leapt to her feet. She walked over to the wall of boots lined up in careful rows on creaky, tilting shelves. She pulled out a few pairs that she thought Sarah would like and skipped back over to the dressing room, punching them through the slit in the curtains for her friend. Sarah took them with a grumbled thanks.

"You know," Jenelle looked about the store, "I don't think I could really make it in the seventies." She whispered just loud enough that she knew Sarah could hear without fear of being overheard.

"I know, right? There's way too much mustard yellow," Sarah snickered behind the curtain. Jenelle could hear the long zippers of some thigh-high boots as Sarah slipped them on.

"Too many things are starting to show the tell-tale sign of padded shoulders. I thought that was reserved for the eighties?" Jenelle mused.

"It's never too early for bad fashion," Sarah responded. "Alright! I think these are the keepers."

Jenelle clapped happily and stuck her head into the dressing room. Sarah was looking down at her feet with her hands on her hips and a crooked smile on her face.

"Right!" Jenelle cheered. "There's that done, let's go get a butterbeer."

Sarah's face lit up. "Can we?!"

"I mean, we saved so much money on these dresses, I'm sure Slughorn wouldn't care if we got ourselves some lunch."

"Sweet! Just let me get changed, I'll pay and be right out." Sarah pushed Jenelle's head gently back through the curtain and proceeded to get undressed.

Jenelle laughed and grabbed her satchel with her new dress inside. She slung the strap over her head so the bag hung low on her hip, then walked over to the door and outside.

On the street, there were scurrying groups of Hogwarts students all about. They had bags of sweets from Honeydukes, the feathery ends of quills sticking out of pockets from Scrivenshafts, and were sipping drinks and munching on snacks from Madam Triffle's street cart. The mood was light and laughter floated around like the leaves.

"Oi! Montagnard!" Jenelle heard someone call from down the street. She fluffed her scarf around her neck and looked around for the voice.

"Ah! Regulus! And Cissy and Severus! Hi guys," Jenelle smiled and waved at her housemates as they came over to greet her.

Narcissa was the first to make it over to her, skipping the whole way. "Hello Jenelle! Are you enjoying yourself?"

"I am, Cissy, thanks for asking," Jenelle laughed. The little blonde Slytherin reminded her of a mini-me with the heartfelt smile and eagerness to please.

"Hey now, how come everyone else gets to call you 'Cissy' but whenever I do it I get my arse ripped apart?" Regulus frowned.

"Because," Narcissa glared sideways at the boy, "it's a term of endearment and you only ever say it to make fun of me."

"Lies! I only ever say it out of love!"

Narcissa made a gagging gesture that had even Severus smirking slightly. He turned to Jenelle and nodded his head.

"Are you here alone? Where's your red and gold counterpart?" he asked.

"Oh, Sarah's still inside Malkin's. She'll be out in a second," Jenelle responded nicely. "What are you all up to?"

"That's right! Jenelle, you have to see, Lucius bought me some darling stationery and a hairpin from Dervish and Banges!" The girl held out her little paper bag proudly and Jenelle peered inside at the treasures.

"It all looks lovely, Cissy. How kind of him. Won't you two make a lovely pair one day," Jenelle said politely.

Then it was Regulus' turn to gag, though no one laughed with him. Narcissa kicked him in the shin and he hissed back as he rubbed his sore leg.

"My father says that once we finish school we can begin to talk ceremony with the Malfoys. It may not even be two years from now and I'll be a bride! You have to promise you'll come, Jenelle!" Narcissa was rosy in the cheeks as she spoke and her eyes sparkled with joy as she discussed her impending wedlock.

Jenelle couldn't help but be pulled into her good humor, regardless of actual historical repercussions.

"Well, erm, we'll see won't we?" Jenelle tried to sound as nondescript as possible. It would be a nightmare if she and Sarah were stuck in the past for that long.

 _Shoulder pads...all the shoulder pads…_

"You just let me know when it is, Cissy, and I'll take Montagnard along as my date," Regulus winked and tried to throw what Jenelle was sure _he_ considered to be a flirtatious grin her way. He lacked his elder brother's skill with women, it seemed.

"Uhh…" Jenelle started.

"And who said you'll be invited, Reggie?" Narcissa scowled at him. The boy looked affronted.

"I'm your cousin!" he balked.

"So is Sirius, and I don't see him begging to attend my future nuptials."

Severus made a huffing sound and looked around, "One couldn't expect a traitor like him to come to such a familial event." Jenelle gave him an eye and Severus flinched slightly under her stare. Then he coughed and followed up with, "Regardless, Cissy, it's a long haul between now and your big day. Remember, Lucius' father has to approve the final word, and from what I hear his blessing is hard won."

"I'm not worried," Narcissa quipped, tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "Lucius said that it's too good a union for two pureblood families to turn down. And besides, who else would he marry? Bella? Andromeda?!" the girl laughed sardonically at her sister's reference.

"I'm sure everything will work out," Jenelle offered, eager for a change in conversation. Narcissa smiled at her and took a look down the street with a surplus of happy energy.

"Oh! I see Rachel and Cecilia down at Tomes and Scrolls, let's go say hello!" she grabbed at the two boys' sleeves and yanked them behind her toward the two Slytherin girls with sourpuss faces down the street.

"See you, Jenelle!" Narcissa called without looking back.

Jenelle laughed and watched as her housemates left her behind. They were an odd bunch, that's for sure. She had been pretty certain at first their relationships were based solely on blood status, but as time passed she saw their contrasting personalities blending together well, even similar to the trouble-making Marauders.

"Ready to head out?" she heard the familiar sing-song voice behind her. Jenelle turned around and looked down to see a very happy Sarah staring up at her through half-closed eyes.

"You look pleased with yourself," she commented lightly.

"New. Shoes." was all Sarah said with a wide grin.

* * *

Remus was sitting with the rest of the Marauders in The Three Broomsticks. They had already stuffed themselves with sausage and mash and were busy drinking far too many butterbeers for a Saturday afternoon.

The conversation had flowed from classes, assignments, jabs at Padfoot and Moony regarding the Ilvermorny girls, and finally their predictions for next years Quidditch World Cup. James and Sirius, in particular, were a little aggressive in their conjectures and were in the middle of passionately defending their choices to each other. Remus and Peter jumped in whenever it looked like the boys may be near imparting physical harm on one another, but otherwise were silent observers to the entertainment.

That was until Remus heard the enchanted wind chime above the front door jingle and turned his attention to the new customers.

His heart leaped into his throat for a brief, nerve-wracking moment when he saw Sarah and Jenelle tentatively entering the room. Sarah glanced around, taking the lead and ushering the two of them over to the bar at the far end away from the Marauders. Remus' turned in his seat, taking this golden moment to stare unabashedly at Jenelle as she followed meekly behind her friend.

 _Blimey, she's so adorable when caught unawares._

Jenelle was keeping close to Sarah as the smaller girl pushed herself up on her toes to see over the tall oak bar. Madam Rosmerta was smiling at the ladies with her usual people-pleasing demeanor. She turned away, likely to gather some drinks for the students and Remus saw Sarah say something to Jenelle that caused the statuesque foreigner to laugh and bury her chin in her scarf.

 _Bloody hell, this could be bad. My throat just went dry and I can feel my heartbeat._

"Oi, Moony. Settle a debate; Durnst or Kempernaff for World Cup Most Valuable Seeker award?" James leaned over the table to snap his fingers at the entranced Gryffindor.

When Remus didn't respond, James shouted, "EARTH TO MOONY!"

Remus jumped in his seat and whipped back around, his cheeks growing flush.

"Wha- yeah? What was that? Uhm...definitely St. Bourne," he sputtered.

"First of all, she's a chaser. Secondly, that's not what I asked!" James said peevishly.

"Oh, I see what he's looking at," Peter said knowingly. "Missing a chance to see your Waterlily there Pads," he pointed between Remus and Sirius' heads at the two girls grabbing their drinks from the bar.

"WHAT?!" Sirius exploded, turning so quickly in his chair he knocked over his empty butterbeer glass and it clanked loudly on the table and rolled onto the floor with a crash.

The entire room went quiet for a moment, all eyes on the foursome in the far corner. Sirius froze, James was trying to stop himself from laughing, Peter had turned a pasty white, and Remus slouched down in his chair, hoping against all hope to disappear into the grimy wood floors.

He winced and turned his head slightly to look back over his shoulder.

"What's this then?" Madam Rosmerta shouted from behind the bar. She stomped towards them as the normal chatter of the room resumed.

Sarah was up on her toes again, trying to see what had caused the ruckus. Jenelle, with the advantage of height, saw all the way across the room and made eye contact with the Marauders. There was an amused smile on her lips.

She leaned down to whisper something to Sarah, who responded with a hard eye roll and a forehead slap with her free hand.

"I gave you lot a round of free drinks, on the house, for your 'elp kicking out the local drunkard, and this is 'ow you repay me!" Madam barked in a heavy accent.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Madam Rosmerta. Honest to Merlin, I am," Sirius pleaded with the biggest, widest puppy eyes he could muster. Remus had seen that look before, he had been on the receiving end one too many times.

As usual, it worked. Madam Rosmerta's face softened and she gave a little wink their way.

"Well now, no 'arm done there is it? We'll just clean this up then," the placated witch with the unruly mop of hair pulled her wand from someplace in her aprons, and with a twist the shattered glass had vanished. Then, the same glass reappeared on the table in front of Sirius, slowly filling itself with the warm, creamsicle colored liquid.

"Sorry again," Sirius said charmingly.

"Nothin' to it. You just mind your antics there, Mr. Black." And with that, she spun around at the call of her name from a table back towards the bar.

Remus sat up a little straighter as she left, then jolted up in his seat pushing back his chair as he saw the two Ilvermorny girls approaching. Jenelle looked pleased to see them, Sarah still had a hard and judgy expression on her face. Remus stepped out from behind his chair and pulled it out, offering it to Jenelle with a grin.

"Oh! Thank you, Remus," Jenelle laughed and allowed him to seat her, then he rounded the table and gave Peter a hard push so the smaller boy would scootch over and make a place for him on the bench.

"What am I, chopped liver? Where's your house loyalty?" Sarah whined.

"Since when do you care about that?" James said snarkily, fighting for arm space next to a very squished Pettigrew.

Sirius was up in a flash, only now getting his wits about him as he stared at the lady of his affection. He copied Remus and pulled out his chair for her, but Sarah pointedly ignored him and grabbed an unused chair from the next table and clunked it down on the end between James and Sirius.

"Smooth mate," Remus heard James whisper under his breath. Sirius responded with a not-so-nice gesture half hidden under the table.

"So, what brings you two to Hogsmeade?" Remus asked, purposefully looking at both girls in turn.

Jenelle looked uneasy, so she turned to Sarah who was quick to answer. "We're just picking up some essentials. You'll recall we arrived with only our wands and the clothes on our backs. Needed some clothes of our own and some school things."

Jenelle nodded along and took a few sips of her butterbeer. Remus had to cleanse himself from the reductions notion of leaning across the rickety table and wiping the white foam from her lip.

"You got a," Remus gestured to his own mouth, "right here."

"Oh!" Jenelle yipped and wiped the back of her hand over her mouth.

 _Oh come ON with that...!_

"What are you guys doing here?" Sarah asked, choosing to ignore the flirting at the other end of the table. "Shouldn't you all be back at the castle getting your assignments done? I know for a fact that only Peter has turned in his Charms homework."

Sirius sulked and dropped his head in his hands. "Why'd you have to go and bring that up, Waterlily?"

James was also moaning his agreement. "I had just forgotten the damn thing until you had to go and bring it up."

"It wasn't very hard…" Peter started.

Sirius jerked up his head and gave Wormtail a death stare. "You just nevermind you brownnosing teacher's pet."

"Yeah Peter, don't you know that even the simplest assignments are a struggle for these two?" Sarah said with an evil grin.

"Hey now!"

"Untrue!"

Remus laughed as Sarah just grinned and took another swig of her drink.

* * *

Once they had all been sufficiently hydrated on butterbeer, the crew of six left Three Broomsticks and headed out into the busy street. It was late afternoon, and all of the students were on their way to Hogsmeade station to take the train back to school. The sun was starting to dip below the horizon and the sky was an ombre of pinks, orange, and deep purple.

Remus and Jenelle had fallen behind the rest of the group chattering loudly (mostly Waterbrooke and Pads) and galloping along ahead. Remus made sure to slow his pace to encourage his companion to do the same.

Without needing to say anything, the blonde Slytherin graciously eased up her strides and the two of them fell further and further behind. Remus saw James turn as if to call on them to keep up, but the speckled boy was met with a well-timed fist to the kidney via Waterbrook.

 _This girl is a better wingman than most blokes, good to know._

Remus glanced down at the bag he was carrying for Jenelle and caught a glimpse of something green.

"So, did you find everything you were hoping to?" he asked sheepishly.

"Oh yes, Malkin's had a lot of lovely things. Sarah tried on some atrocious dresses, but eventually we both found something suitable for the party," Jenelle said dreamily, looking at her surroundings absentmindedly.

"Party?" Remus' ears perked at that little tidbit.

Jenelle was pulled from her daydream and looked at Remus with big, excited eyes. "Yes! Sarah and I were both invited to one of Slughorn's get-togethers. I'm sure it has _nothing_ to do with the fact that we are mysterious foreigners with a pension for non-verbal and wandless magic." She rolled her eyes.

 _A party? And at that, a dinner party! Could it be that no one has asked to accompany her?_

"So, this party," Remus started, pulling his jacket more firmly around his shoulders in the brisk wind, "are you required to take someone with you? Like, someone to accompany you?"

 _Alright so, I may not be the best at subtlety. But I'm a damn right better at it then Padfoot!_

Thankfully, Jenelle didn't seem to notice the excitement in his voice. "Required? I don't recall the invitation saying anything about needing a date. But, it didn't say we couldn't bring someone I guess."

 _It's now or never, Lupin. She could be swept up by some shuddersome Slytherin as soon as this evening if you don't take this chance!_

"I suppose...I mean- you wouldn't want to perhaps, go...with me?" his sentence was jumbled and inarticulate, but damn it all, he had said it! He breathed an inaudible sigh of relief before catching his breath again waiting for her response.

Jenelle stopped in the middle of the street and looked at him with her arms held tightly to her side in the cold. Remus turned back around to face her.

"You...want to go with me?" she asked befuddled.

Remus would have laughed if he didn't have the right mind to keep it cool.

"Well, yeah. I think we'd have a nice time of it. And I can promise I'm better conversation than half of the bootlickers who are going to be there." He allowed himself to smile, the build-up of hope almost threatening to explode out of him.

Jenelle still hadn't moved, but had a happily dazed look as she stared at him.

"That would be great!" she finally exclaimed, then quickly drew out her hands and held them to her mouth, mindful of her volume in the crowded street.

"Really?" Remus breathed happily.

"Really," she said, more assuredly.

"Wicked," Remus laughed. He felt like his head was suddenly under the effects of a levitation charm. It was all cotton candy and fluffy pillows up there.

Jenelle laughed and started walking back towards the station, Remus falling in along beside her. They seemed to both be reveling in their excitement and not even the bitter cold of Scottish winds could cool their burning hearts.


	22. Chapter 22 - Swing and a Miss

CHAPTER 22 - A Swing and a Miss

Jenelle breathed a sigh of relief as her last class before dinner wrapped up. Lunch felt like ages ago and she was starving!

Turning to Narcissa she said, "Hey, I'm going to head directly to the Great Hall, you wanna join?"

"Oh, go without me," Narcissa looked despondent. "I've got to talk about my NEWTS preparation with Professor Flitwick before dinner. Save a seat for me?"

Jenelle laughed and nodded before turning to the door, waving goodbye to some of her other housemates. She hadn't seen Sarah since their Hogsmeade trip yesterday and was looking forward to seeing her again.

As she stepped into the Great Hall she was surprised when an irate Sirius shoved past her and stalked out, followed by James who was grasping his stomach in raucous laughter.

Shaking her head, she turned to greet Remus, who had stopped in front of her.

"What was _that_ all about?" she jerked a thumb over her shoulder where the boys had run off.

Remus shooed away Peter, saying he would catch up with them all later, before turning to answer. "Just a miscommunication, that's all."

He was holding back a snicker as he said this, and Jenelle couldn't help but ask, "With who exactly?"

"Take a look," Remus gestured inside, and Jenelle peered around him. She was both surprised and not to see Sarah sitting alone, looking bewildered.

Jenelle brought a hand to her forehead. "What did she do?" she groaned out.

"Well..." Remus smirked.

* * *

(20 minutes prior)

Sarah walked over to the Gryffindor table, giving a chipper hello and receiving a chorus of greetings in return. She sat down next to Remus and immediately began filling her plate to the brim with pot pie, roast beef, and potatoes.

Peter goggled at her, transfixed by her meal choices. He opened his mouth to comment, but as he looked up he was caught in Sarah's deadly stare. He folded under her unspoken challenge with a quiet 'meep,' and Sarah smirked to herself in victory.

Turning to Remus, she fixed him with a sly look that had him freezing in place.

"Soooo. Remus," she drawled. The others looked on in confusion while the boy in question suddenly looked rather ill.

"Err, yes?"

"You ever heard of a shotgun?" she asked breezily. He looked confused, his guard lowering at the unexpected question.

"...It's a muggle weapon, isn't it?" he checked cautiously, not sure where she was going with this.

"Uh huh!" She smiled happily, "That's it! It's a thing that uses a tiny, localized explosion to shoot dozens of little metal pellets out of a long tube. The pellets can rip into a body and leave it looking like ground meat!"

Sirius looked queasy from across the table. "Uh, Waterlily? Not that it isn't fascinating, but, why bring this up?"

"Oh, well," her eyes hadn't left the werewolf, who had tensed up again during her description. "There's this No-Maj tradition in the South were the father of a daughter waits for his girl's date out on the porch, shotgun in hand, and threatens to blow off the boy's important bits if he even _thinks_ of putting one toe out of line. Funny isn't it? I was just thinking about it now. Man, those No-Maj crazies really know how to put the fear of God into a guy, am I right?"

Sarah heard Peter whisper to a frozen Moony from across the table. "Psst, Remus, what is she on about?"

"Didn't you just say it was a tradition for the _fathers_ , Sarah?" Remus' voice was weak as he tried to joke, and his attempt fell flat immediately.

"Well, it's not like Jenelle's father is here, is he?" She was still smiling which showed she was happy that, although the teen was trying to put on a brave face, he couldn't hide how unnerved he was.

 _I really do like freaking people out, don't I?_

James took this time to interrupt, waving his hand between the two in order to break their uncomfortable eye contact.

"Hey, scary girl," he pointed rudely in Sarah's face. "What in Pomfrey's pantaloons was that all about?"

"He didn't tell you?" Sarah was honestly surprised, she thought bragging about these kinds of things was an inherent guy thing. "Remus is going to Slughorn's party next week with Jenelle, like, as a _date-date_."

Her revelation was met with a chorus of "WHAT?" and she covered her ringing ears, scowling.

The frantic boys were almost dogpiling Remus with the weight of their rapid-fire questions. Sarah was happy to note that nothing sounded derogatory. In fact, they seemed to be quite encouraging!

She let the Marauders rib at each other for a few minutes, going back to her dinner. She was interrupted when a long arm wound itself around her shoulders; it seemed that Sirius had gotten up from his place across from her at some point to plop himself down on her free side. He was now holding her close to him and Sarah tried to shrug him off to no avail.

"Why didn't you mention that you and Montagnard were going to that elbow-rubbing, hoity-toity, boring-as-all-get-out dinner extravaganza!" he demanded, looking wounded.

"Umm, because you weren't invited so it'd be kinda rude to bring it up. Also, you didn't seem like the type to like these kinds of things?"

He scrambled for an answer. "I-I, fine! You're right I guess but, look, Waterlily. I don't know if you should be wasting your time with this."

She quirked an eyebrow at that. "It sounded like fun to me."

"He's not saying that you shouldn't go," James explained, trying to help out his floundering mate. "It's just that Slughorn and his parties have a reputation of, well, underhanded networking. It's not really your scene, you see."

Sirius nodded his head in agreement, his arms crossed.

"Yeah, I got that vibe when I saw the invitation, but you do know that he invites more than Slytherins right? Don't play coy, I know that's where you were coming from. He told me himself that Lily is going."

* * *

James froze as Sarah's words echoed in his mind; he had not known that. Immediately, images of the fiery Prefect flew through his horrified imagination. Lily surrounded by scheming Slytherins. Lily having to ignore whispered hatred and veiled insults.

And worse yet, Lily toe-to-toe with Snivellus without him to save her!

"You've gotta get me an invite, Waterbrooke!" he blurted out, interrupting an argument between Sirius and Sarah that had started while he had been lost in his mind. Sarah looked at him like he was crazy, but James was a man on a mission, a mission to save his future girlfriend!

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" she asked rhetorically. "From what I can tell, once Slughorn makes his guest list the only way someone else can attend is as a date."

James lunged across Remus and at her, grasping her shoulders desperately.

"Please let me be yo-"

"No" she interrupted, peeling his hands off her shoulders.

"Why!" he exclaimed.

"Because I haven't known you long, but I'm pretty sure whatever reason you have for asking me is a stupid one."

Remus, who had been knocked back by James and his desperate flailing, was now keeping his place at the table through sheer abdominal strength. Sarah pulled him back upwards, getting a nod of thanks.

"You don't understand!" James wailed dramatically. "Evans is going to be there all alone, surrounded by blood purists and arseholes! She's gonna need me!"

"James whatever-your-middle-name-is Potter, that girl does not need you there to hold her own, and you better remember that if you're thinking what I think you're thinking." Sarah narrowed her eyes at James.

"It's Charles, actually. Merlin, James calm down," Sirius ( _the jackass_ ) spoke up, snickering unkindly. "Your poor, delicate Lily flower will be fine, it's just a group dinner."

"But, but," he tried to continue arguing. Sarah sighed heavily, shaking her head.

"Look, even if I was brain-dead enough to support your ridiculous White Knight complex, I already decided when I first got the invite that I wasn't going with a guest."

Sirius had still been chuckling at James' misfortune, but her last words caused him to whip his head towards her, shock and indignation seeping from every pore.

"Wait, what?" he demanded, not caring how he sounded.

"Well, who exactly am I going to ask? Dumbledore?" she said sarcastically.

Sirius sputtered. "Wha-, no, but, I thought,"

Now James was the one laughing at his friend, along with Remus and Peter. "Yeah Pads," he needled "it's not like she can ask Dumbledore, is it?"

"Stuff it, Prongs!" he hissed before turning back to Sarah, a charming look on his face. "Let's leave aside that particular _obliviation_ -worthy thought. Now me, on the other hand Waterbrooke," he winked "if you needed a date, all you had to do was ask."

He crossed his arms behind his head, leaning back and striking a pose, "I mean, I suppose if you really wanted me to, I could free up some of my time."

He acted nonchalant as if he didn't have a care in the world, but he wasn't fooling his friends. They could see him glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, gauging her reaction.

Sarah laughed good-naturedly, going along with his joke. "Aww, well that's downright decent of you, Black," she teased. "But we wouldn't want you to go out of your way now would we?"

"I am quite the busy person," he agreed. "Really, now that I think about it, it might be a tight squeeze fitting you into my schedule." He waggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to snort.

"Right, right, you're the queen of the social butterflies," she mocked, then shook her head. "For real though, I can handle my own against the evil that is politicking. No need to get stuck with me for who knows how long surrounded by people that tick you off."

She sent a grateful smile towards Sirius, whose face was back to a state of shock.

"Wait, but-" he stuttered.

"Really, it's alright but thanks for offering. Glad to know somebody cares I guess."

Sarah was quite surprised when, instead of laughing and moving on as she expected him to do, Sirius instead stood abruptly and stomped off towards the exit, James howling with laughter as he stumbled behind him, calling out for Sirius to slow down. With no idea what was going on, Sarah turned to look at Remus for answers.

"What the hay was that?" she demanded, but he only shook his head in exasperation. Even Peter was tutting at her. They both stood to follow their poor brother-in-arms who looked like he'd definitely need consoling.

Sarah called after them frantically, "Wait, Remus? What did I miss? Lupin?! LUPIN!"


	23. Chapter 23 - Stirring the Cauldron

CHAPTER 23 - Stirring the Cauldron

Remus was walking on air as he made his way to Gryffindor Tower for the night. His day had ended rather spectacularly if he did say so himself.

He and Jenelle had just spent an hour together in the library going over their Potions homework together. It was Jenelle's worst subject, she explained, and though Remus had barely passed Slughorn's class the past few years, he was pouring over the texts every night to have a chance to show the effervescent Slytherin what to do.

It meant a lot of sleepless nights, but the scruffy-headed Gryffindor didn't mind. It was worth the persistent jeering of his fellow Marauders to be able to see Jenelle's face light up with gratitude.

Caught up in his reverie, Remus almost didn't notice the hostile environment that he had stepped into as he entered the boy's dormitory, but a flying pillow careening towards his head took care of that.

Ducking quickly, he looked back to where the pillow hit the bottom of Carlton Avery's bunk before turning to take in the scene before him. Several of his roommates were standing near the walls, sniggering and looking on in amusement at the entertainment in the center of the room.

Remus could only stare as Sirius magically propelled another item (his Charms textbook?) at James' head.

James squawked and threw up a light _protego_ , the book bouncing off the low-powered shield and falling to the floor.

"Bloody hell Sirius, it's not that big a deal!" James shouted from behind his shimmering protection.

"The hell happened to wizard brothers before others, James!" Sirius was snarling as he launched another book at his friend. Before it could hit, Remus sent his own _protego_ in between the two, causing them both to direct their attention to him.

"Dare I even ask?" He stared down the both of them.

"Ask _this_ selfish prick!" Sirius jabbed his wand at James, who held his hands up in defense.

"It's not that big a deal, it's not that big a deal!" he repeated desperately. "Sarah's just helping me out, that's all, I swear!"

Sirius immediately turned back to James, shouting, "Are you mental, you wanker?"

Remus stepped closer, gaining their attention again.

"What. Happened." Remus was _not_ happy that his good mood was gone due to these idiots he called friends.

Both James and Sirius went silent; James from indignation and a small helping of embarrassment, and Sirius from his inability to articulate how horribly he had been wronged.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Remus turned to the onlookers for answers. "Anyone want to help me out here?" he asked sardonically.

It was Frank Longbottom that spoke up, amused and extremely entertained. "Seems Waterbrooke decided to give in and go with a date to the Slug Party, and three guesses who it _wasn't_."

Sirius interrupted, his arm slicing through the air. "And it's all this bloody jackoff's fault!"

"Stuff it, Sirius." Remus glared at him, then turned back to James.

"Sarah actually chose to go with _you_? Why?"

"Well, actually," James looked embarrassed, running a hand through his hair, "it's more like she took pity on me after I nagged her for an hour straight. She basically said that she was only inviting me so that I'd stop nattering at her then she stomped out of the Common Room and hasn't been back since."

"You just couldn't let it go could you?" Sirius accused. He didn't look like he was going to send things flying again, but Remus never knew with Sirius. He was quite mercurial.

"Going on and on about stupid Evans," he continued "and ruining things for the rest of us over a bird that doesn't even give you the time of day!"

James sent a dark look at Sirius. "Oh, like you're any better! Seems like that infamous Black charm hasn't been working as well as it usually does, huh Pads?" He smirked, his arms crossing in a blatant taunt. "Maybe you're losing your edge mate? Or maybe, Waterbrooke's just not that into _mutts_."

Sirius really did have an impressive warcry. Forgoing his wand, he launched himself at James, and the two rolled to the floor, kicking and biting.

Remus slowly counted to three. Then, just to be on the safe side, he counted to three again before raising his wand and casting a _petrificus totalis_ at the mess of clothes and teenage hormones on the floor. Now locked together, he took a moment to appreciate the work of modern art the two resembled before moving to physically pull them apart.

"Pads, it is not James' fault that Sarah didn't take your offer to heart. Whatever is going on between you two, or rather a lack thereof, that's your problem, not his." He levitated Sirius onto his bed, still petrified, as he scolded.

"And you, Prongs," he turned and levitated the bespeckled boy onto his own bed as well. "It really was bad form to move in on a girl that your mate is interested in, intentional or not. How would you feel if Sirius asked _Lily_ to go to the dinner with him, just so he could keep an eye on Sarah?"

He let them stew on that for a moment, turning to address their audience. "Alright show's over you bloody gossips, get out." He shooed everyone away.

Liam, a rather uppity fourth year, refused to budge. "What, you're throwing us out of our own room Lupin?"

Remus snorted. "Like you're going to sleep anytime soon, Troggle? These two need to work this out, and they're _not_ doing it with all of you voyeuring."

He was met with an assortment of grumbles but eventually, everyone complied, leaving only Remus and Peter (who had been cowering behind a much bigger sixth year) behind.

Remus walked back to the beds, where James and Sirius were glaring angrily at him.

"Alright, if I let you two go, do you swear not to attack each other like nifflers fighting over a coin?" Taking their eye rolls for acceptance, he cast a _finito_ , watching unimpressed as the two moaned and groaned and stretched their appendages.

"Damn it Remus, you're such a twat," Sirius spat, but he didn't say anything else, content to focus on achieving feeling back in his left leg. James was surprisingly silent as he rubbed the soreness from his own elbows.

"...Hey, Pads, I'm sorry" James finally spoke, looking carefully at the boy across from him. "I know this was going to be your golden opportunity and I mucked it up royally. I just, I'm really worried about Evans and I let that get to my head."

"And I'm not worried about Sarah?" Sirius demanded, before exhaling sharply and throwing himself back on his bed in a violent motion.

"Hey, Sarah can take care of herself don't you think, Padfoot?" Peter spoke up gently, and James nodded in agreement, his head bobbing up and down rapidly.

"Yeah, yeah! My ribs can definitely back that up. She'll be fine, Pads, don't worry! And Moony will be there with Montagnard. She'll be looked out for."

Sirius was silent. Remus and the others shifted awkwardly, waiting for him to do _something_. He finally popped up, rolling off his bed and making a beeline towards James, who threw up his arms for defense with a "Don't hurt me!"

"James, I'll forgive you, but you've gotta do something for me."

James slowly lowered his arms, peering up at his friend's hardened face.

"...yeah Pads?"

Sirius grinned, and it was positively evil.

"You're gonna lend me your cloak for the evening."

* * *

Sarah was taking a walk.

She moved aimlessly, letting her feet blaze the trail. Destination was less important at this point than using the repetitive motion of putting one foot in front of the other to help clear her mind.

Eventually her path ended at the library, where a few late-night students could be found hidden amongst the shelves and books and scrolls.

Wandering here and there led to idly perusing a section at the far end of the library, secluded away from everyone else. Titles went past her eyes without impact; she was too lost in thought to take in any outside stimulus right now.

A short while earlier, Sarah had left in an annoyed huff after finally giving in to James and his incessant request to accompany her to the Slug Club party. But not before she had seen a look of near betrayal on the face of one Sirius Black as the portrait swung shut behind her.

 _Sirius..._

For some time now she had been doing her absolute best to ignore every advance from Gryffindor's resident playboy extraordinaire. She could admit, however, that his persistence was beginning to amuse her. Sometimes it even seemed endearing. Did that mean…?

 _No!_ She shook her head violently as if trying to rid herself of the uncompleted thought. This wasn't some romance novel, this was real life. People got hurt in real life and there was no way to magically fix the pain when someone's heart was hurt. She knew that well.

 _Black started all this because you were new,_ she told herself. _He kept it up because it was fun. Now it's just a running joke. Come on Sarah, when have you ever been more than 'one of the guys' or 'the little weirdo' or 'the tiny thing that needs to be taken care of'?_

 _When was the last time anyone was serious about you?_

She was so lost in her self-deprecation, she never registered the presence that had been sneaking up behind her until a hand landed on her shoulder firmly.

She couldn't help it, she shrieked, having just enough presence of mind to muffle the sound with her hands, jumping almost a foot in the air before springing forward and away. She tried to turn but her legs gave out, and she wound up sitting knees together with legs on either side of her, staring up in horror at one intensely amused Lucius Malfoy.

"Now, what a sight that was. Surely a Thunderbird would have more courage than _that_ , I'd like to think. No no, you seem nothing more than a trembling little toad right now." He had crossed his arms, looking down at her in cruel humor, and Sarah couldn't take it.

"You are such a jerk!" she whispered sharply behind her hands, prying one away from her mouth to reach out and try to smack his leg. He danced out of the way, his robes fluttering behind him in a swirl of acromantula silk.

 _Upperclass bastard._

He chuckled, surprising her when he moved forward again and offered a hand. Her gaze jumped between his face and the appendage hovering in front of her eyes before huffing and struggling to her feet on her own.

"No thank you, I don't take help from ninjas that like to scare the bejesus out of innocents who were just minding their own business!" That being said, she swiftly turned to walk away, but was stopped by a solid grip on her wrist.

"Leggo, Malfoy!"

"Oh come now, Miss Waterbrooke. Is your pride so easily hurt that you cannot think to linger in my presence?"

She gaped at him for a split-second. "That was all you! _You_ mister, not me!" She knew she was being ridiculous but damn it, her poor heart was still pounding!

He practically dragged her to one of the high-back chairs near the corner of the room, though she spent every step shaking her arm in a not-so-subtle attempt to get him off of her.

"Miss Waterbrooke, do take a seat." He released his grip on her wrist, but as quick as she was to jerk away he was quicker still, capturing her hand and maneuvering her into the chair so smoothly her head spun.

She made to spring back up but he was in the way. "Stay, Miss Yellowbanks, you and I have things I wish to discuss."

She felt her heart stop again, only this time it took much longer to recover.

"What did you say?" Her words came out strangled. He smirked, not acknowledging her question and instead took the chair directly across from her.

"Now, before you get any other thoughts, you mustn't blame my dear Head of House; it was not his fault but rather a fortuitous coincidence that found me stumbling upon your little secret."

He had picked up a discarded book on the lampstand nearby, idly flicking through it. "Imagine my surprise when, as I was returning to his class to discuss an assignment late last week, I happened to overhear our Professor Slughorn extending invitations to his little soirée to you and Miss Montagnard."

Sarah stiffened in her chair.

"Well, I just couldn't help my curiosity when I heard his offer to fund your Hogsmeade trip in exchange for such _delightful_ information." He still wasn't looking at her, but he might as well have been holding a wand to her throat. Sarah could hear a dangerous amount of _intent_ in his words.

"And what exactly did you hear, might I ask?" She had to keep calm.

"Oh, not much I have to admit. Really the only thing I caught was your family name. Why?" he teased but with a hint of real curiosity, "Was there something important I missed?"

 _Oh thank Isolt above, he didn't hear about the time-travel stuff. Now I might not have to obliviate him on the spot and risk getting caught._

"Have you ever heard the phrase ' _curiosity killed the cat_ ', Malfoy?" She leaned into her chair, going for an air of nonchalance in order to not lead to any more information.

"Ah, but most forget the ending Miss Yellowbanks, that ' _satisfaction brought it back_ ,' and I must admit to being quite satisfied right now."

She sneered. "You would, and keep your voice down, idiot! For crying out loud it's like you have no idea how to keep a secret!"

"What secret?" he pretended to look genuinely confused before mouthing a small 'oh' of understanding. "You mean, the fact that you are the member of the _premier_ family of the American South, second only to the Original Twelve? The fact that the Yellowbanks family holds sway over a number of wizarding lawmakers, politicians, judges, and attorneys throughout the MACUSA even today?"

"Or" he continued "perhaps you are referencing the very likely possibility that Miss Montagnard is of the same stock as you? Perhaps even higher?"

She sprung forward, forgetting her wand in her panic. _Shut up, shut up, shut up!_

She tried to clap a hand over his mouth but he snatched both of her wrists in his hands, using his strength to stop her mid-lunge. She contemplated headbutting him for a second.

"Miss Yellowbanks, a lady of your standing should conduct herself in a more becoming fashion," he tutted, smirking up into her face.

Yep, headbutting was starting to look good.

"What exactly do you want, Malfoy?" she spat, still trying to crush him under her weight. He remained, however, immovable. Damn her tiny frame!

He grimaced, a look of perplexity peering through. "What I want is to know _why_ , Miss Yellowbanks. Your name might not be the most well-known in Britain but any imbecile with an inkling of American history or political knowledge would recognize your family in an instant. Why hide it?"

She countered quickly. "Why do you care, Malfoy? Beyond being too nosy for your own good."

He shrugged. "I find you interesting."

She blinked, not expecting that.

"I really wish you wouldn't," she blurted out.

"Ah, there it is, that candidness that seems distasteful, and yet never fails to amuse."

She did _not_ like the direction of this conversation. Time to bluff. "If you know so much about my family then you should know to think twice before messing with us. Yellowbanks are neutral types Malfoy, comes with the territory. So whatever schemes you're brewing in that pretty-boy head of yours, you might as well quit now."

She smiled brightly. "I mean, who's to say if someone were to feel _threatened_ by unwanted attention and decided to take justice into their own hands, well," she leaned in and whispered, "America has always romanticized vigilantism."

He blinked and responded with a flirty, "You think I'm pretty?"

It was so out of left field that for a moment Sarah forgot her situation, sputtering indignantly at his growing humor.

"N-NO! I- why are you focusing on that!? I didn't-" She pulled away quickly and stumbled back to her chair.

"Ah but you did. I heard it quite clearly."

She really wanted to punch that smug look off his face.

"You know what, what's to stop me from _obliviating_ you so hard you forget how to speak English?" she demanded hotly, hating the feeling of being mocked.

"Well, there _is_ the fact that I took the precaution of writing down what I learned and hiding it, _darling_."

 _Damn it!_

But, wait. Maybe she was over-reacting? Jenelle did say she leaned towards melodramatic on the best of days. She took a deep, furtive breath, exhaling slowly and letting her mind settle into a calmer state. When she felt better, she tried one last thing.

"You'll forgive my outburst. I was caught unawares, I admit. But really, when I think about it, what exactly do you have over me?"

His gaze narrowed. _Oh, he didn't like that._

"I would think quite a lot, Miss Yellowbanks." He scowled slightly.

"Not as much as you think, Mister Malfoy," Sarah countered. "Besides, you're not here because you're interested in me or because you want to hold something over my head."

"Oh really?" he drawled. "And what exactly am I here for then?"

Her smile could cut a diamond and she knew it. "Why, don't you remember our last conversation in the infirmary? Tell me, since you've learned my real name, how many different _ventures_ and _alliances_ between our families have you considered and thrown away?"

He crossed one leg as he sunk further into his chair, seemingly untroubled. "Well, originally I had been planning on blackmailing you to establish communication between the Malfoy family and the Yellowbanks family's numerous connections."

"And now?" Sarah prompted. He said nothing for a while, and Sarah felt like a cat whose fur was bristling.

"Now, I wonder..." he said softly, eyes unblinking.

Sarah was tired and so _beyond_ done with smarmy Lucius Malfoy. She wiped imaginary dust from her skirt and turned to leave.

"Well, you keep right on wonderin', sweetie. In the meantime, let's just keep this little secret between you and me. Let me know when you actually come up with something worth my time." With that, she walked away, determined to put this entire day behind her.

"You're becoming quite lovely to me, Miss _Waterbrooke_."

Sarah's response was lightning fast. "Blow it out your ass, Malfoy."

She didn't let her steps falter as his laughter echoed behind her, but the sound of it lingered in her mind long after she had left the library.


	24. Chapter 24 - Dolled up and Defensive

CHAPTER 24 - Dolled Up and Defensive

Jenelle gave herself a once-over in the mirror. The dress that Sarah had helped her to pick out was darling and simple.

The dark green color was pretty against her blonde hair and would win brownie points with their Slytherin host. It had white embroidery that danced along the hems and it tickled the tops of her feet. She liked the way the boxy cut de-emphasized her chest (she hardly ever needed to bring _more_ attention to that area).

She leaned in and pinched her cheeks for a bit of color. Then she swept her long hair over one shoulder and grabbed a black shawl to wrap around her bare arms. She tucked her wand into the very helpful wand-shaped pocket and stole one last glance at herself before leaving the room.

 _I wonder what Remus will think..._

Out in the common room were small groups of Slytherins playing board games or working on assignments by the fire. She turned a few heads as she bee-lined for the exit but tried not to look. She hadn't had a lot of hope she would make it to the door in time before someone actually said something.

And she hadn't in a million years expected to find Lucius Malfoy actually haunting the entranceway, obviously waiting to speak to her.

A slightly shaken Sarah had recounted to her the story of how he had cornered her in the library the other night. The panic that stemmed from his knowledge of Sarah's origins was only barely mitigated by the relief that he hadn't heard anything else while snooping in on the conversation between Slughorn and the Ilvermornians.

There was another thing; Jenelle couldn't help but feel that something else had been bothering Sarah, but when she had asked, Sarah had only waved off her worries. It had been unsettling but she hadn't pursued the topic, too concerned with the bigger problem at hand.

Ever since that night, Lucius had suddenly decided that Jenelle was finally worth his time. He now openly joined in on her circle of Slytherin friends whenever they were working together in class, eating in the Great Hall, or wasting time in the common room.

Narcissa had been ecstatic, if a bit confused, as to his sudden interest in their friend group but hadn't questioned his motives for fear of chasing him away.

Lucius normally spent his time with the likes of Goyle, Crabbe, and other future Death Eaters, so having him around so often was a dream come true to the tiny blonde socialite.

Regulus had simply gone with the flow, although his popularity had definitely been on the rise since others had started seeing him with the resident prince of Slytherin.

Severus had actually cornered Jenelle and asked if Lucius knew about the time situation (she was thankful for his tact) but she had reassured him that Lucius' motivations weren't connected to that. Severus had pushed for details but thankfully had backed down when she had asked him to.

He really was a better person than most gave him credit for.

Jenelle slowed as she stepped up to Lucius, looking surreptitiously for a way around.

"No need to look so distressed at the sight of me, Miss Montagnard," he said lightly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I wasn't! I'm just, I have to get all the way to the Gryffindor common room before heading to the Slug party and wanted to leave plenty of time…" Jenelle trailed off as Lucius' rolled his eyes in exasperation, an uncommonly rude gesture for one so uptight on etiquette.

"Ah yes, I assume you will be meeting with Miss Waterbrooke before the party. Wherever is your escort though?" he teased.

"Well, actually…"

Lucius looked positively disturbed. "You're _not_ serious. A Gryffindor! _?_ "

"I fail to see how it's any of your business," Jenelle said defensively, twisting her shawl in a knot.

"There are numerous eligible Slytherins that you could have asked to escort you, two of which hold their very own invitations, and you hadn't thought to go with one of them?" he scoffed.

"Well none of them could muster up the courage to ask me, so I decided to go with someone who did," Jenelle said pointedly.

"Their loss of course, but a minor inconvenience at best," Lucius shrugged off her words. "Really Montagnard, a no-name half-blood and a pathetic Gryffin-git at that? I can't even begin to guess how you could think of him as anything more than a waste of your time."

"I suppose you'll just have to keep guessing then." If there was one thing that could shut down Jenelle's steadfast politeness it was bigotry.

She tried side-stepping past him. "If you'll excuse me, I have to meet Sarah and my _date_ at the tower."

Lucius' gaze sharpened slightly before settling back into neutrality, but she had caught the change, and wondered where it had come from.

"Ah yes, the poor girl. I can only imagine that Black must have salivated at the chance to finally sink his dirty claws into Miss Waterbrooke. Tell me, how long did he badger her before she finally took pity on that pathetic blood-traitor?" He was idly inspecting his wand as he spoke but the lines of his body were just a smidge too tense for true indifference.

"Right house, wrong guy, Lucius. It was Potter that begged to go with her, actually."

His head shot up in astonishment. "POTTER? _He_ holds an interested in Sarah?"

 _What the hell? Are they on a first name basis now?_

She eyed him cautiously. "He had his own reasons for wanting to go, none of which you need to know. Besides, James and Sarah are more like quarreling siblings than potential dating partners. Again, not that _you_ should care in the slightest."

Lucius collected himself, a hand flicking at a strand of hair that had fallen past his shoulders in his outburst. "Of course, of course," he said, back to being his usual derisive self. "Potter would never _dream_ of averting his gaze off of that mudblood, Evans," he sneered, looking like he would spit at her feet if only it didn't go against his upbringing.

Jenelle decided that that was enough discrimination for the day and practically shoulder checked him in her haste to exit.

"Well, on that note, I'll see you at the party Lucius. Try to be a gentleman, won't you?" She stepped around him and headed toward the door, paused, then looked over her shoulder once more.

"Remember, I know where you sleep."

Lucius looked like he wanted to say something in response but Jenelle was already strides away from him by then.

 _I'll have to ask Sarah for advice on how to follow up with that threat,_ she thought.

A short while later she was scurrying up the many staircases toward the Gryffindor common room. She quite liked the walk. It was much brighter and more cheery in the main corridors of the castle. There were more portraits to interact with and festive decorations of the fall season too.

"Off to something special dearest?" called out a young woman from inside a portrait on the landing of one of the stairs.

Jenelle laughed and sighed heavily, happily taking the opportunity to catch her breath. She stood with one hand on her hip and stared up at the fat, pleasant woman in the painting holding a pitcher of water.

"I am! I'm actually on my way to my very first Slughorn dinner," Jenelle said proudly.

The woman in the painting smiled congenially and nodded, the sides of her bonnet swinging gently. "That's nice dear. And I assume you're being accompanied?"

Jenelle smiled bashfully and swung her shoulders side to side. "I am."

"Ah, I recall that feeling," the portrait woman mused with a grin.

"What on heaven's green earth are you talking about?" grunted an old man from a nearby painting. "You haven't caught the wondering eye of a passerby in over two hundred years!" the man cackled cruelly.

"Hey now," Jenelle started, "that wasn't very nice. I think you are very lovely, er, madam, lady, ma'am." She smiled the most sincere smile she could muster.

It was too late, the woman had vanished with her pitcher into a nearby painting in tears and could be seen running through a distant field inside a Gainsborough masterpiece.

Jenelle scowled at the old man in his portrait who flinched under her heated expression.

"Go get her and apologize, this instant," she commanded. The old man grumbled something unseemly about the sensitivity of women and walked slowly through the conjoining portraits out of sight to fix the problem he had created with careless words.

Satisfied that she had handled the problem well, Jenelle continued up the stairs and before long found herself standing at the landing below the portrait of the Fat Lady. The fruit bedazzled woman was yucking it up with the surrounding portraits and didn't seem at all interested in the Slytherin nearby at the foot of the stairs.

Before Jenelle could really settle down comfortably on the bottom step to wait, she heard the Fat Lady make an excited sound and the creaking of the hinges as the portrait swung open. There was laughter and whispers and as Jenelle stood to turn around she saw the trio making their way down the steps toward her.

Sarah was smiling with a full grin, as excited to have a night out as Jenelle it seemed. She was wearing the very flattering sweater dress from Madam Murkin's that hugged all the right curves and was a very appropriate deep crimson color. Her high boots Jenelle had picked out were a dark suede and she had done her best, Jenelle noticed, to pin up her hair to show off her feathered earrings.

Jenelle was quite proud of convincing Sarah to wear the getup that she was absolutely slaying. Ilvermorny, represent!

James and Remus were walking down the steps behind her. Both were dressed in their school uniform but with nice fitted blazers instead of robes and sweater vests of deep Gryffindor gold underneath. Remus had paused with one foot out in front of him upon seeing Jenelle at the foot of the stairs.

He looked, what was the word?

 _Gobsmacked_.

Jenelle smiled at big as she dared without looking foolish and waved at the approaching group. Remus gathered himself with an adorable shake of his head and gave James a friendly slap on the back as he took the stairs two at a time down to reach Jenelle.

"You look...brilliant," he mumbled adorably once he was at her side. Jenelle laughed and patted Sarah on the arm as she came to stand beside her.

"She looks very _green_ ," James said absentmindedly, followed by an "Oof!" as Sarah stepped pointedly on his foot.

"What did we talk about?" Sarah whispered harshly under her breath.

"Arse! That really hurt Waterbrooke! Are you aiming to break every bone I own by the end of the year?" James stood on one leg as he attempted to rub his toes through his leather shoes.

"Nice to see you again too, James," Jenelle quipped as Sarah stood there smiling innocently.

"Right, cheers," James responded grumpily.

"Is Lily not joining us?" Jenelle asked Sarah.

"She was heading to the party from someplace else. We'll see her there I imagine," Sarah stated simply, ignoring James' grumbling about broken toes.

"Shall we?' Remus presented an arm to Jenelle. It took her a second to remember what to do in cases of such chivalry, which were pretty much lost in her own time. But she happily accepted and curled her hand under his elbow and the two of them led the group down the stairs towards the party, while Sarah and James bickered amusingly behind them.

* * *

As Sirius skulked behind the group, hidden under James's' invisibility cloak with a modified _muffliato_ cast on his feet, he wondered how this was his life.

Had someone told him at the beginning of the year that he would be stalki- err, _following_ a girl he barely knew while she went on a not-date with his best mate, not to mention spying on them while hidden from view like a crazy, jealous ex, he would have wondered how many _confundus_ charms that person had taken to the head.

Yet somehow here he was, doing exactly that and for the life of him he couldn't convince himself that what he was doing was really all that weird. It probably had to do with the couple in front of him.

Sirius watched miserably as Sarah and James interacted. He _knew_ that James was head over heels for Lily, and as far as he could tell Sarah treated James more like an unruly and beloved pet than anything else but did she _have_ to be so _clingy_ with him! She never hesitated to bump shoulders, poke him in the face, flick him in the ear, or even give an apologetic hug when he got a bit too annoyed with all the physical abuse.

It wasn't fair!

 _At least I'm getting_ some _entertainment,_ he grumbled inwardly, watching Remus stumbling over himself and Montagnard as they led the way to dinner.

Merlin, that poor bastard needed a good smack in the face. Ever since Montagnard had met them at the portrait, Remus had been unable to tear his eyes away from her.

Not that he couldn't secretly understand; Sirius himself was having more than his fair share of trouble with his own object of affection.

He had already been hidden under the cloak when his Waterlily had descended the stairs from the girl's dorm to meet up with James, giving him a free and uninterrupted chance to stare.

And damn if he wasn't still staring.

 _That arse should be registered as an Unforgivable,_ he thought dazedly, his eyes glued to the mesmerizing sight of the girl's swaying rear as she walked. He had noticed early on that Sarah was a girl that moved in a way that screamed _purpose_ ; one foot in front of the other in a rhythm that would intimidate a lesser man.

It had never been so wonderfully highlighted than tonight by the sway of her belt strap as it was lifted left, then right, with her every step.

 _Merlin, preserve Montagnard for convincing Waterbrooke to don that particular clingy number. And to top it off, in one of my favorite colors!_

So transfixed was he by the sight in front of him, Sirius almost ran into the rear he was ogling when its owner came to a sudden stop. Sirius stumbled, righting himself quickly before he was discovered, and looked through the folds of the cloak. He was able to make out the blurry image of a large set of doors.

It seems they had arrived.

Sarah's voice cut through his thoughts as she called for attention. "Ok," she looked determinedly at everyone. "Before we go in there, quick ground rules."

"Who died and made you Minister of Magic, Pygmy Pixie?" James bristled slightly, but Sarah met him tit for tat.

"I'd say I became your ruler when I agreed to bring _your_ sorry ass with me, James." Her gaze was challenging, daring him to forget that he was here by her good grace alone. James remained stubborn for a few seconds, before huffing and throwing his arms in the air.

"Alright alright alright!" he acquiesced, looking miffed. "You already told me no antagonizing Snape and no excessive flirting with Evans, what more do you want from me!"

Sarah looked suddenly innocent, which rightly put James on guard. "Oh, nothing, I'm so happy you remembered what I told you!" she smiled cutely. "Just know that if you do a _single_ thing I deem stupid I'm going to _rabbit punch you in your kidneys until the pain overwhelms your need to talk."_ Her voice had gotten dark at the end, causing James to actually shiver in front of Sirius' eyes. Sirius shivered as well, but not exactly for the same reason.

 _Bloody buggering hell, that should_ not _have sounded so hot!_

"Merlin, okay!" James backed up in fear, eying his date with trepidation. "I'll be good, I swear!"

"Great!" Sarah turned to speak to Jenelle and Remus. "You two, you just be your disgustingly adorable selves, 'kay?"

Remus seemed nonplussed but Jenelle was used to her friend's lightning fast changes in mood and simply grinned. "You got it, hun."

Jenelle gently took Remus by the arm, leading him to the door. Behind them, Sarah and James did the same, with James leaning ever so slightly away from the unpredictable Asian. Sarah merely tightened her grip on his elbow, preventing him from running off.

As Montagnard raised her hand to knock, Sirius mentally prepared himself for a long and aggravating night.


	25. Chapter 25 - Teens of the Round Table

CHAPTER 25 - Teens of the Round Table

"Come in, come in!"

Slughorn met them at the door, beckoning them with a wave of his hand. As Sarah stepped inside, she quickly cataloged the table in front of her. It was quite large, round and made of gorgeous mahogany. While there was no indication of a head chair, there was a place that seemed a bit more ornate than all the others; doubtless that was where the professor was seated.

Already, she could see Narcissa and Lucius sitting together, as well as Lily, Snape, Regulus, and what looked like two Hufflepuffs. Before she could take in any more information, Slughorn spoke up.

"I've taken the liberty of arranging the seating a bit, just a little thing I do in order to fuel conversations you see!" Slughorn's demeanor was cheerful as he announced this, unaware of the dark looks that were being sent across the room. The seated Slytherins were eyeing her group with mixed emotions, but none of them pleasant.

James wasn't helping anything by actually stepping to stand in front of her like a protective pit bull. What a doof.

When the words 'seating charts' actually sunk in Sarah surveyed the table once again, spying small white cards placed neatly at the top of each plate. The two cards in front of her, directly across from Slughorn, read 'Miss Montagnard', and 'Mr. Lupin'. Jenelle and Remus must have noticed as well, for they made their way forward to take their seats.

Lily was seated to the left of Remus, and next to her was Snape. Sarah wondered for a moment if they had come together, but the atmosphere seemed wrong. Historically cannon or not, she kinda wished they had.

Next to Snape was Regulus, then the two Hufflepuffs that she couldn't recall. Obviously, if they were here Slughorn thought they were worth his time but she didn't recognize them. There were only two placements left and James tugged at her arm, leading them both towards the empty spaces.

Sarah found her seat directly next to Lucius Malfoy.

His face had contorted strangely when they had entered, eyes darting between her and James like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Now he watched her out of the corner of his eye, his gaze showing only to smallest hint of astonishment and something vaguely resembling disapproval.

They hadn't spoken to each other since their run-in at the library, mostly due to Sarah walking briskly in the other direction whenever she caught even the slightest glance of green ties and long blonde hair.

She'd accidentally run away from _Jenelle_ a few times by accident, to her consternation and the blonde's amusement.

"Miss Waterbrooke," he nodded neutrally towards her, standing up and moving aside as she took her seat.

 _I swear to God if I find out he influenced this seating arrangement just to sit us next to each other, I'm gonna slug him._

Contrary to her more violent thoughts Sarah smiled charmingly at him, taking the hand he held out.

"Thank you," she offered, and she was proud to say she only barely dug her nails into his skin, not that he showed a reaction. Malfoy had just moved to push her chair in but James beat him there, his gaze challenging as he took over the role.

"I think I can take care of my own date, Malfoy."

Lily, who had looked to be bursting with questions, could no longer keep her mouth shut.

"Wait," she exclaimed, "you two came _together?_ " Her face was incredibly disapproving, and for a moment it was like Sarah was looking at her own mother after she had done something particularly idiotic.

Sarah immediately jumped to defend her dignity. "Oh no, not like that! Jenelle had already been asked by Remus, and James was kind enough to offer as well. He just didn't want me to go alone. James here can be quite the gentleman when he wants to be." She smiled at James as she said this, who looked momentarily flummoxed before understanding dawned on his face.

"Err, right," he tried to recover, "that's me, always the gentleman." He shot a thumbs-up toward Sarah under the table once he had seated, but Jenelle spied it, snorting.

"Is that what you call it?" muttered Snape from this place across the room. Luckily James didn't catch it. Sarah noticed though that Malfoy had brightened somewhat, looking pleased with whatever he had learned during their exchange.

When everyone had finally sat down, Slughorn brought his hands together in a clap.

"Well," he said as he addressed the room. "Thank you all for coming here tonight, I'm so glad everyone could make it! Let us begin, I'm sure you're all quite hungry!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the candelabras that had been floating in the air above their heads dimmed slightly, creating a more intimate atmosphere. Unobtrusive music wafted in from all around them, a classical piece that Sarah recognized but couldn't put to a name.

Their plates had magically filled as well. Little finger foods were artfully arranged to create simple, floral patterns on the white and gold china. She had to give him props, Slughorn knew how to set a dinner mood.

The professor spoke again. "Now, while we begin with the hors-d'oeuvres why don't we introduce ourselves? I'm sure some of you already know each other, but we have a few new faces here tonight. In fact," he pointed a finger in the air, taken by the idea that had popped into his head. "Why don't we also share an interesting tidbit about ourselves?"

Seeing as the faces around him looked less than willing, Slughorn frowned in mock disappointment. "Oh come, come," he said, "it's all in good fun I assure you. Why don't I go first?"

He leaned in towards the table, playfully. "Now you all know me as your potions Professor, but did you know that before I began teaching at Hogwarts I was quite well known for my skills with warding? Why, I had more than a few high profile clients who asked directly for my services, one of which was a magical artifact trader who came all the way from America to have me ward a summer chateau of his in Georgia!"

Slughorn looked pointedly at Sarah and Jenelle as he said this, chuckling modestly. "Quite the paranoid one, he is. Has this terrible fear that he'll be attacked by a wild rougarou, but he still sends me a request to update his wards every three years, along with a small artifact in appreciation!"

Everyone smiled politely at his story, and he gestured to his left at Narcissa. "Now now my dear, why don't you go next?"

Narcissa's own smile was strained, obviously she did not want to participate, but she folded under the expectant gaze of her Head if House.

"I am Narcissa Black, of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. I hold a personal preference for runes."

When it was obvious that she was not going to elaborate any more, Slughorn indicated to the next person, Lucius.

His gaze swept the table as he eyed everyone with a slightly upturned nose. "Lucius Malfoy," he drawled, "heir to the Noble and Ancient House of Malfoy. I am an advocator of _purity,_ in all its forms."

He sent a particularly disdain-filled look towards Lily, who drew up indignantly in response. Before she (or James, who had also looked ready to punch Malfoy in his smug face) could respond Sarah cut in by flicking Malfoy's thigh in irritation and ignoring him when his eyes sharpened on her discreetly.

"Well my name's Sarah, pleased to meet you all." Sarah introduced herself with a happy little head bob to the side. A few members of the table were looking at her like she was crazy, but she ignored them with aplomb.

"One of my pastimes back at home is riding. My job in particular is breaking in new mustangs." She pointedly did not look to Malfoy as she said this, but she was still able to spy a chuff of amusement. The jackass obviously remembered their first conversation but still wasn't taking her threat seriously.

Well, she'd just have to prove him wrong.

The Hufflepuff boy made a sound of disbelief as he eyed her from his seat, clearly not impressed. "Yeah right, what's a tiny thing like you doing training horses? Don't you have something better to do with your time?" He leered at her, "Better to leave those things to experts, sweetheart."

Sarah didn't miss a beat, although inside she was seething. "Considering I've been riding since I was eight I'd like to say that I have _some_ skill, but do enlighten me. How much experience do _you_ have?"

She could have sworn she heard a whispered ' _oh snap_ ' coming from her left; Jenelle no doubt. James patted her knee in a sign of approval, not even bothering to hide his smirk.

Slughorn intervened before things could turn more hostile, shooting a reprimand at the incensed Hufflepuff. "Mr. MacMillan, I would have expected a boy of your background to have more manners. Miss Waterbrooke is free to do as she likes and it is not your place to judge what her family considers a respectable pastime."

The now identified MacMillan looked ready to defend himself, but the combined glares and disapproval of more than half of the table had him retreating back in churlish silence. The girl at his side seemed to melt into her chair as she flushed with embarrassment.

"Well I'm James Potter," James spoke quickly, still giving the evil eye at the Hufflepuff boy, "and I think if a girl wants to do something than she can bloody well do what she wants!"

Lily looked startled at that. She stared at him as if seeing him for the first time, her gaze contemplative but he didn't notice. Sarah did however and she mentally applauded James. It was about time he said something smart for once, and it wasn't even pre-planned!

It was Jenelle's turn to speak and she sent her signature polite smile around the table. "Jenelle Montagnard, I like playing the guitar and sometimes doing duets with my friends." She smiled at Sarah who nodded back at her.

Remus spoke up, looking at her with awe, "You play guitar? I didn't know you played music."

"Show you later," she promised with a wink, which sent her date into a pleased flush.

"Yes, well," he cleared his throat, "Remus Lupin, a pleasure. I um, really like DADA. It's one of my favorite classes."

It was Lily's turn to speak next. She looked nervous but when she spoke it was with confidence.

"I'm Lily Evans and I love Charms class. I also love spending time with my friends." Here she shot a quick smile towards Severus who began to smile back but stopped when he felt the weight of Malfoy's judgemental stare.

Composing his face into something more neutral, he ignored Lily as best as he could, which did not go unnoticed if her flashing emerald eyes were anything to go by.

"Severus Snape" he said. "You could say I have a deft hand at potions."

"Greasy-haired fume huffer, who does he think he is, sitting so close to Evans like that." James began swearing under his breath but was cut short when he felt a piercing pain high on his right thigh. Sarah had dug her nails into his flesh through the cloth of his trousers and seemed to be trying to cut off all blood flow to his groin. Wincing, he desperately attempted to pry her hand off, but her grip remained.

His movement had been noticed, hidden by the tablecloth though it was, and a suspicious Lily narrowed her eyebrows. Smiling as best as he could he gave a small wave towards her. Still wary but mollified for now, the redhead turned her attention back to the introductions.

As soon as she did, Sarah let go. Rubbing the abused flesh crossley James flicked Sarah's own thigh in retaliation but was spectacularly ignored. They had both missed Sirius' little brother's speech during the exchange, which Sarah slightly regretted but figured it was no big loss.

It was the condescending Hufflepuff's turn next and he spoke loudly, his arrogance easily suffusing into his tone.

"Bevarius MacMillan, of the Noble and Ancient House of MacMillan. I'm fourth in line for the position of heir and my mother says that I am the best duelist she has seen out of all my brothers." Even Malfoy and Narcissa could not hold back a sound of indulging amusement, inspecting him like one would a tiny, yapping chihuahua trying to take on a greyhound.

It was finally the last Hufflepuff's turn and she stuttered under the pressure of having everyone's gaze on her. "I um- I'm M-Millie, umm, my family runs a c-chain of restaurants in Muggle London." She looks like she would literally faint if she had to say more so Slughorn took pity on her and brought the attention back on himself.

"Wonderful, thank you all so very much!" He nodded in appreciation around the table.

"Shall we move on to the soup?"


	26. Chapter 26 - Painfully Polite Politics

CHAPTER 26 - Painfully Polite Politics Get Poetically Pranked

As the group made their way through the courses it was Lucius' turn to meddle and toy with the Ilvermorny girls. And he had a plan.

"Professor, might you be able to shed some light in a subject I've recently stumbled across?"

Slughorn, who had been engaged in trying to worm his way into the favor of that lout MacMillan, instantly turned away to answer. "Mister Malfoy, of course, how can I help you my dear boy?"

Lucius smiled politely as one of his station was expected to do. "I was recently working on a research paper for DADA about the evolution of the modern Auror, and came across a rather curious entry. In it, it mentioned that after the colonies broke from England and declared themselves independent, so too did America's magical community. Seeing as you just professed a good relationship there I was hoping you could enlighten me on the subject of America's Auror system. Only if it is not too much trouble of course."

He didn't need a sneakoscope to feel the wave of irritation that was trying to engulf him but he welcomed it with an inordinate amount of glee. It had been so long since Lucius Malfoy had met someone _interesting_ to play with, and Sarah Yellowbanks was proving to be a wonderful distraction from the monotony that his life had adopted recently.

Slughorn puffed up at all the compliments and attention that was now directed on him. "The Aurors! Well, you've come to the right professor Mister Malfoy!"

"Professor, wouldn't it make more sense if Jenelle or I answered his questions?" Malfoy's little Thunderbird jumped in, managing to hide her rudeness with a deft smile. "After all, who better to ask about the government of a country than someone _from_ that country, yes?"

"Appreciated, Miss Waterbrooke, but I'd rather hear an interpretation from a English wizard's point of view, if it's all the same to you," said Lucius smoothly.

 _Oh, if looks could kill_ , Lucius was positive he would be seeing _avada_ green by now. Precious girl, she thought she was so threatening when really all it did was make her even more adorable, like a kitten baring its fangs.

Slughorn nodded along in agreement with his student. "Now now my dear, why don't you let me take a swing at things? I promise if anything seems inaccurate you are more than welcome to jump in at any time, hmm?"

"...I suppose. Of course, sir."

Across the table, Lucius could spy Severus looking at him with a questioning gaze. Severus was the only person at the table who knew that Malfoy's assigned topic was actually on the American MACUSA in general, not specifically the Auror division.

Lucius shot a silencing glare, and Severus caught the message as quickly as a Slytherin should.

Narcissa had given him an odd look as well but a reassuring squeeze of her hand sent her blushing and back to her previous conversation with Regulus. Good, he'd rather not have to deal with her right now.

He gave a prompting nod to his Head of House, who sprung into his story. "Well now, let's see. When the Magical government of the United states, known as MACUSA, was first developed its primary directive was to establish law and order against criminals that had fled to the States from Europe. And also to combat Scourers."

 _Scourers?_

"And what exactly was a Scourer?" Lucuis asked in a leading tone. Unexpectedly, he saw both Montagnard _and_ Yellowbanks flinch at the word. Montagnard even broke away from her no-doubt intellectually depreciating discourse with the two Marauder malcontents to focus on the new conversation.

 _Interesting._

"Scourers," Slughorn's face darkened, "were corrupt wizards that sold out their own kind to muggle communities for profit."

Sarah spoke up then with a frightening contempt in her voice. "Some historians believe that because of Puritan religious beliefs at the time, Scourers held a fanatical hatred towards themselves and all wizardkind. They believed that their magic was the curse of Satan and that to use it was to be damned to an eternal hell. Hypocrites, the lot of them."

The darling girl didn't even seem to be faking her derision at this, though Lucius could more than understand. The very _idea_ that those with the gift of magic could stoop so low, dirtying themselves with something not even the worst of blood-traitors would consider.

 _Disgusting_.

"Quite right my dear," the professor agreed. "Moving on from less dreary topics though, the first thing that the MACUSA did was establish an Auror order and from it, the Original Twelve were born."

 _Galleons, this was it!_

"The Original Twelve, Professor?" He had done as much independent research as he could, of course, but the esteemed Hogwarts Library was sadly lacking anything but the most basic of information on the topic. He had been hoping that his professor would be willing to shed more light of the situation and for a while had considered asking the man privately.

Now however, he was ever so glad he'd decided to do it this way; it was so much more entertaining.

"What in gallopin' Granians do you think you're doing?" Sarah's harsh whisper made its way to his ears and he bit back a laugh. Southerners really did have the most amusing turn of phrases, and a seemingly endless variety!

"Simply expanding my education, Miss Waterbrooke," he whispered back, glancing quickly to take in her countenance. He had to admit, she was handling his underhandedness rather admirably. Not as skilled as a lady should be at hiding her more negative emotions, but he liked that about her if he were to be honest with himself.

He felt like he could study her for weeks and she would never respond the way he may guess. The unpredictability was proving to be more enthralling than he ever could have imagined.

Slughorn's voice pierced through his musing, bringing Lucius' eyes back to the host.

"Oh, the Twelve, my boy! Why, they were the first twelve volunteer to be trained and sent out into the field as Aurors! The challenges that they faced were almost impossible, their achievements legendary, and ever since its establishment the descendants of the Original Twelve have been given a particular sort of respect in America. Isn't that right, girls?"

Slughorn raised an eyebrow at Yellowbanks and Montagnard who wordlessly nodded their heads in agreement. It was not a conversation they seemed happy to be having.

 _How fascinating..._

Narcissa chose this moment to step into the conversation taking place over her head, blinking owlishly and looking at the professor. "Are you saying that these so-called Twelve are the American equivalent of our own Sacred Twenty-Eight, Professor?"

"Well, perhaps not as numerous Miss Black. And the Sacred Twenty-Eight has more to do with blood purity than a history of Defense Against the Dark Arts. But interestingly, what few fail to learn is that each of the Twelve had an apprenticeship branch, and the whole twenty-four families migrated with other wizarding families all over the countryside as the settlers moved further out West."

"Professor, weren't you just mentioning a while ago about dessert? I'm not going to lie, I think half the reason I came was because you said there would be Italian cream cake!"

Sarah cut in before Slughorn could elaborate, an amatuer mistake. Nothing said you had something to hide like trying desperately to change a topic, and Lucius wanted to know _exactly_ what she thought was so important that she felt the need to make such a blatant show of herself.

"I must admit, I'm rather astounded Professor Slughorn. You're outdoing yourself!" Lucius said, smooth as silk. Slughorn was finally deep enough into his butterbeer and firewhiskey-laced cocktails that he was becoming loose-lipped, it was the perfect time to strike.

"Why, I don't believe even Professor Binns could rival your knowledge on the topic, and you mean to tell me you even know such obscure details? I'm almost skeptical!"

The professor drew himself at the challenge, his cheeks reddened as he boasted. "Why, I could you one better my boy! I bet I could list every family and branch off the top of my head if I so tried!"

The poor Thunderbird at his side looked aghast. "Professor! That's really not necessary-"

"Let's see: Fisher and their branch the Flycatchers, they settled in the Northeast. The Lopez family and their Lupe branch in the New Mexico territory, Roche and Rochester in the Atlantic East, the South's Fontaine and the Ye-"

There was a sudden clap of thunder, the only warning before a cacophony of sounds and colors lit up the entire room. Miniature fireworks were springing from the center of the table, bursting through the wood in a shower of splinters to fill the air with sparks at a dangerously close range. One exploded mere feet from Lucius' face!

Everyone in attendance dove for cover as Fizzing Wisbees and Dancing Dragons exploded throughout the space. They dropped quickly to the floor and covered their heads as the sounds exploded all around.

Professor Slughorn was crawling away on his belly, completely useless. Snorting in disgust, Lucius withdrew his own wand while on the floor and pointing it at the mess in front of his face, let loose a powerful _depulso_.

The banishing charm lived up to its name, and half a dozen screaming fireworks disappeared without a trace, though there were still plenty more to take their places.

Wisening up, the rest of the students followed his lead, _depulso_ 's flying through the air. Before long the room was silent again, the echos of the explosions ringing in everyone's ears.

"What the blazes was that!" Potter yelped from his place in the corner, where he had been attempting to shield an uncooperative Evans.

"Professor, are you alright?" Sarah rushed past Lucius towards their fallen host, who was still quite bewildered.

"I- I never! Why, in all my years!" he stuttered, his shock slowly being replaced with rage at the knowledge that someone had sabotaged his special dinner party.

"It was horrible indeed, Professor," the girl looked quite contrite, patting the old man's arm gently and hauling him to his feet. "We should go report this to the Headmaster right now. Whoever did this, they could have seriously hurt someone!"

"Quite so Miss Waterbrooke! Students, I apologize terribly but I'm afraid I must ask you all to retire for the evening. I have a rapscallion of a wretch to catch!" With that the professor stormed off, Miss Yellowbanks right on his heels.

As she passed by Lucius again his head turned to follow her out. Her head spun around quickly and a sly smirk was creasing her cheek. Lucius' mouth dropped in complete astonishment.

 _Impossible! Did she...how did she?_

"James, I'm so sorry but could you escort Lily back to the Tower?" Sarah called over her shoulder. "I'll be back with you all soon, I just want to make sure the Professor makes it to the Headmaster. Alright? 'Kaythanksbye!"

And with that, the most impudent, brazen, utterly shameless girl Lucius Malfoy had ever met waltzed out of the room. She had averted what could have been a crisis for her and her friend in the most audacious fashion he had ever witnessed.

"Lucius! Are you alright!? Oh it was awful, I've got food in my hair and all over my new robes, and one of those things nearly took off my arm! I swear!"

Narcissa had launched herself at him, teary eyed while she checked him over for any injuries, but he could only answer her with the faintest of acknowledgements. Luckily, she took his lack of response for shock and ushered him away to the door as everyone else proceeded to leave the room.

Lucius allowed her to lead him down the hall by the arm, his mind whirling with plans and schemes.

 _I must write to father immediately. He should be made aware that I have found a Thunderbird in need of having its wings clipped._

* * *

(Earlier in the evening…)

It had only been half an hour, but under James's' invisibility cloak Sirius was _bored out of his mind_.

He'd tried to be good and keep his hands to himself while pacing around the room but honestly, what else was he supposed to do when he was stuck with a bunch of Slytherins and enough politicking filling the air to choke a dragon?

He'd started amusing himself by messing with that little shit MacMillan; serves him right for being born an absolute tosser. Sirius kept things subtle, using his magic to adjust the placement of the Hufflepuff's knife so that it dropped to the floor more than once. He also tried scooching over his goblet two inches to the left and causing the idiot to knock it over when he reached out for a drink.

After about ten minutes of this Sirius was certain that everyone and their infirm grandmother would be hearing about what a right arse Bevarius MacMillan was, and if they didn't he'd be making sure of it _personally_.

 _You know,_ Sirius mused as he caused MacMillan to drop his cutlery for the fourth time this evening, _I should really do this more often. Moony was right; things don't always have to be big to be satisfying._

He was pretty sure James and Remus knew what was really going on, judging by Prongs and his covert thumbs up under the table and Moony's newly developing eye twitch. His poor friend was probably frothing inside at not being able to smack Sirius upside the head, but doing so would cause more problems than it'd be worth so Sirus was left free to cause mischief as he pleased.

 _Now, what to do next? Ooh, how about Snivellus? Haven't given him a warm hello ever since the school year started, and what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't rectify that injustice immediately? Tally-ho!_

And so the Sirius' Symphony of Slytherin Slapdashery in A Major began, much to the conductor's delight. Out of a lingering brotherly love he kept his pranks towards Reggie to a minimum, but the rest were free game as far as he was concerned.

This was barring Montagnard because Remus would kill him, and of course his Waterlily, whom he was both enamored with and slightly scared of.

Slipped elbows and smacked foreheads, splattering soups and salad dressings, dropped food and 'misplaced' napkins; by the time dessert was rolling around Sirius was feeling pretty creative as he made his way to his final target: Lucius Malfoy.

 _Ah, Lucius, whatever shall be done with you?_ he thought merrily as he gazed down at his future victim, completely unseen inside the cloak.

The Prince of Prats was talking to Slughorn, who was starting to look a bit red in the face. It probably had to do with the ninety-proof imported Russian vodka Sirius had been spiking the Professor's drinks with little by little.

It was an expensive waste (he'd actually been planning on having a taste of his recently acquired contraband for himself) but well worth it. Drunk Slughorn was a chatty, entertaining Slughorn, who knew?

He had just about made his move when he started actually paying attention to the conversation going on, in part due to the girl on the other side of Malfoy who had just leaned into the blonde git's ear.

Sirius instantly zeroed in on them, moving from the other side of Malfoy's chair quickly and catching the tail-end of his Waterlily demanding to know what Malfoy thought he was doing.

 _Just what_ is _he doing that's got her knickers in a twist?_ he wondered to himself. Indeed, this close it was easy to see that Sarah was not happy, although she was trying her best to hide it.

 _Original Twelve? The flaming quaffle is that?_

Sirius listened with only half an ear, more concerned with the growing amount of panic that was building on his Waterlily's face. Sirius hated how vulnerable it made her look; Sarah was a girl that should never have to deal with those kinds of complicated emotions.

His mind made up, Sirius shimmied low and passed through the gap between Sarah and James' seat, accidentally elbowing the boy in the leg. James let out a small yelp, hissing out "Pads?" in a low whisper. Sirius spared just enough time to give his mate a quick tap on the knee in confirmation before moving on, reaching deep into the pockets of his robes as he neared the the center of the table.

He thanked Merlin that the fleeting idea to bring the blasted things had struck him before he had left the tower, otherwise he would've had to improvise.

Withdrawing his hands from his robes, he held two fistfulls of Zonko's fireworks and proceeded to dump them unceremoniously on the floor. Shuffling back as far as he could without actually touching anyone accidentally, he aimed his wand at the pile and ignited the entire thing in one fell swoop.

And then?

 _Glorious chaos._

Despite the fact that he had done it mostly to rescue his girlfriend-to-be, Sirius still took an insane amount of pleasure from watching every person in attendance panic as they were chased down by Zonko's best, barely able to stifle his laughter into his fists.

He moved as soon as the table was clear, racing towards an innocuous alcove covered in shadows and watched the scene unfold before him.

His fun was cut short as his friends started wisening up and not too long afterwards the fireworks had been banished, leaving behind an echoing shock throughout the room. It took considerable self-control to not give himself away though it was a very, _very_ close call.

Pushing down his hilarity to a level that wouldn't get him detention for the rest of his life at Hogwarts, Sirius watched as Sarah went over to kneel next to Professor Slughorn, who had yet to right himself from his place on the floor.

Sirius felt a fierce pride as his Waterlily made good on the opportunity he had created, distracting the Slytherin Head of House smoothly and even managing to help out a fellow Gryffindor by setting up Prongs to escort Evans back to the dorms.

 _That's my girl,_ he cheered mentally. _If I'm not careful, she'll replace me as head wingman!_

Carefully, he made his way towards the doors as well, weaving between other bodies until he was able to slip out unnoticed. He knew he wouldn't be able to get inside the Headmaster's office with Sarah and Slughorn, and frankly that idea was a bit too cheeky even for him. So instead he turned left when they went right and headed back to Gryffindor Tower.

He would wait for his friends in the common room, and when he told them (Sarah in particular) about how he had saved the day, he would bask in their praise. He wondered if he might even score a kiss in appreciation, and the thought put a skip in his step the whole way back.


	27. Chapter 27 - Expiration of Perfection

CHAPTER 27 - The Expiration of Perfection

* * *

Though the party hadn't exactly ended as he had expected, Remus was glad to have the chance to walk with Jenelle without the prying eyes of the Slug Club guests.

He had no idea what had happened but was fairly sure that everything could be blamed on Sirius. He would be sure to repay his _friend_ back for the near-heart-attack at a later date.

Everyone else had been preoccupied with the aftermath of the fireworks show, and in the hustle to leave Remus and Jenelle had been pushed out of the classroom and into the hall.

There was a comfortable sort of silence now as Remus and Jenelle walked through the torchlit castle. Remus was watching Jenelle's small smile out of the corner of his eye. She was only a hair taller than him and had mercifully removed her shoes so that the discrepancy was hardly noticeable. She was swinging the black slippers daintily from her fingers and had her eyes on the floor in front of them as they walked down the twisting, empty halls toward the Slytherin common room.

Remus had insisted on walking her back, but little did Jenelle know it wasn't so much a show of chivalry than his ploy to surprise her.

 _Ahhhh I sure hope Wormtail was right about this. It's not exactly his forte._

Gathering up his courage he stopped suddenly and reached out to grasp at the shawl around Jenelle's shoulders. She stopped and turned to him, a quizzical expression chasing her smile away.

"Is everything alright? The common room is just over here-" she started.

"No, it's not that...I wanted to show you something," Remus fumbled, finding his words.

Jenelle looked at him with a skeptical and mind-reading expression that seemed to think the worst of him and his teenage hormones. Not that he could blame her, look at the company he kept!

"No! Not like that. A very legitimate and polite surprise, I promise," Remus recovered gracefully.

Jenelle smiled and dropped the hands she had brought up to cover herself. "Oh well, in that case, I'd love to see your surprise."

 _You're doing fine Remus. You got this mate_ , he cheered inwardly.

"Oh, one more thing. You'll have to cover your eyes."

Her eyebrow rose.

"It's nothing bad I promise!"

Jenelle laughed and undid the knot of her shawl. She lifted the hem around her neck, up over her head until it was draped over her face, just above her mouth.

"Will this be alright? I'll shut my eyes, I swear."

"That's brilliant," Remus replied. Then he reached for Jenelle's hand, which she gave without hesitation, and started down an adjacent hall.

"Oh! What a nice smell!" Jenelle said cheerfully a few minutes later.

"Shh! You'll have to be quiet a moment for this to work," Remus laughed under his breath in a low whisper.

"Oops! Sorry. Alright, I'll shut up." Jenelle pressed her fingers to her lips, indicating her willingness to restrain herself, but Remus could hear her take some long breaths as she continued to enjoy the smell.

Which, as she was unaware of, was due to the fact that they were now inside of a Herbology greenhouse.

Remus squeezed Jenelle's hand gently, guiding her along the rows of raised tables. There was greenery everywhere casted in dark shadows. The sky beyond the dirty glass ceiling was dark but sparkling with starlight. Low light spilled down from hanging lanterns that ran the length of the room.

With a whispered _nox_ and a flick of his wand the lamps began to go out one-by-one until the only light was starlight and a sliver of moon.

"I was perfectly on board until the lights went out," whispered Jenelle.

Remus laughed and then covered his mouth to stop the sound from escaping. He finished guiding Jenelle to the open circle at the center of the greenhouse and released her hand back to her side.

With a definitive sigh and shrug of his shoulders he moved back a few strides and looked up at the night sky. The sliver of crescent moon overhead made his jaw tighten but he knew there wasn't anything to worry about for a few weeks more.

Setting his gaze on the tall, hooded witch before him he pushed up his sleeves and prepared his wand hand.

"Don't open your eyes until I say, understood?" he teased.

"The suspense is killing me," Jenelle giggled.

Smiling broadly with a new sense of confidence Remus twisted his wand around in front of him like he was stirring a cauldron. The incantation was new to him but Peter had done an excellent job of helping him memorize it. He mumbled the short phrases over and over until a tiny blue light had formed at the end of his wand like a _lumos_ charm. The color left a streak of glowing teal as he twisted the wand round-and-round.

The small halo of light remained floating in front of him, and then all around him there was a twinkling of pale blue dots coming from the plants. Hundreds of small, beautiful flowers were slowly opening, emitting a pale blue light akin to the bioluminescence of a deep sea creature. They were scattered throughout the greenhouse at waist height on every elongated table.

The lights were accompanied by a high humming tune that seemed to come from the plants as they continued to open and close gently, revealing their frosty glow. The spell seemed to be doing the trick, enchanting the singing flora.

Remus almost forgot about his date and stared in awe as he finished the spell.

 _Peter, you barmy blighter, thank Merlin for your attention to Herbology lectures!_

"Alright, open your eyes," Remus whispered slowly.

Jenelle hesitated, then reached up and carefully peeled back the shawl covering her head. As she lifted her face to his she took in the twinkling lights surrounding her. The quiet chorus of high pitched humming filled the open space and the sparkling light bounced off her face and the details of her dress.

She stood with her mouth agape in a wide smile, then gasped in exhalation and began to spin where she stood, taking in the surrounding scene.

"Oh wow! Oh look at that!" She turned to him then and the look on her face was enough to make him drop his hand that had been circling in a meditative state.

"Isolt above, Remus this is so…"

"Magical?" he offered with a grin.

Jenelle just responded with a stifled giggle and watched as the halo before him faded away, removing the light from his face. She turned in place to look around the room again but to Remus' relief the flowers continued their dance, flickering to their own orchestral ballad.

But for all their beauty, he could only look into Jenelle's pale and perfect face as she beamed at the twinkling scene. The light danced off her blonde hair and somehow made her eyes look more luminous than they had ever looked before.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked quietly, turning back around to face him.

Remus cocked his head to the side in thought. "How have we only just met, when I feel as though I've always known you?" he asked to the open air. The girl looked down bashfully and swayed where she stood.

Daring to act on his urges, Remus closed the short distance between them until he was standing close enough to hear her nervous breathing.

"Jenelle…" he said softly to her downturned face. He could make out the edges of a smile and reached up to push a strand of hair from her face. She lifted her head at his touch and looked him in the eyes with a dazed and intoxicated expression. The flowers were still singing their silky song around them and light was dancing off her skin in a way that put Remus in a trance.

"Yes?" she responded, likely confused by his glazed over expression.

 _Bugger all Remus, pull yourself together._

"Would you, perhaps, like to dance?" he asked.

Her eyes fluttered over his face in surprise. "I love dancing! No one ever asks me to dance."

"Do blokes dislike dancing in the States?" That seemed odd. Surely the jazz-loving Americans loved a good two-step on a night out.

"Not so much in my ti- I mean, not where I'm from," she stuttered.

"Can you waltz?" he asked with a grin, slipping his hand around her waist and sliding the other into her open hand.

"I can follow a lead," she said in a quiet shock as he pulled her towards him.

"Brilliant. Then, _one_ two three, _one_ two three..."

The space they had to move was just large enough for a carefully stepped waltz. As they swept past the tables and shocked the singing flowers a glittering of light, like sparks from a fire, filled the air in their wake. It dusted the sky above them until the whole space was shimmering and alive.

Remus held her hand snuggly in his own, the warmth of their palms pressed together. His other hand was gently placed just below her shoulder blade.

"Keep your eyes on me, I won't let you fall" he warned as she stumbled in her bare feet.

"Right," she responded with a comforting smile.

The moment was spectacular. Better than anything Remus could have ever planned for. The flower's song wasn't particularly meant for dancing but he made a beat in his head and Jenelle didn't seem to mind at all.

Throughout the dinner all he had wanted was to edge his seat a little closer to hers, to catch a waft of her hair or feel her hand graze his under the table. Such romantic inclinations had always been held by the likes of Sirius and James. It would never have occurred to Remus that he too could play the prince and whisk away a pretty girl in a dance.

 _Well, take that Padfoot and Prongs,_ he thought to himself as he stared into Jenelle's darling, transparent expression.

They came to a slow stop near the center of the circle and Remus pulled their hands in towards his chest. Jenelle was breathing quite heavily now and Remus was afraid he may have overdone it.

Just as he was prepared to lean in and steal himself a well-timed kiss (in his inexperienced opinion) Jenelle's eyes flew open wide and she gasped aloud in fright.

Afraid he had stomped on her foot, Remus released her and stepped back.

"Oh, I'm- I'm so sorry! Was I mistaken? Was that too much?" The questions came flying out of him as he failed to see what was wrong. The singing flora had stopped and all the tiny flowers were blinking closed in a wave of sad sighs. Darkness fell on them like a blanket of night and the room had gone untimely frigid.

"No, no, no…please," Jenelle was whining. Her body had doubled over and she was clutching at her chest while staring over Remus' head. Her face was sheet white and her eyes wide in terror.

Turning to see what she was looking at Remus pulled his wand free and cast a resounding " _LUMOS_!" at the ceiling, igniting all the lamps in the greenhouse as well as his wand.

It was as if the spell had worked in all but the very end of the room, where an inky black smoke was falling from the glass ceiling and settling on the floor. It retained the shadow of a person at the very center that stood slowly; a maniacal stare blazed bright orange across the room at Remus.

 _What the- is it a dementor? A boggart? It couldn't be a Death Eater, not here!_

" _Errrgh_ …" Jenelle whimpered behind him.

Remus stumbled backward, unable to take his eyes off the monster before him. He made it to Jenelle's side just as her legs buckled and she collapsed with a cry on the floor. She had her arms wrapped around her chest and was rocking slowly in incredible pain.

"Jenelle! Jenelle, what is it? What should I do?" Remus cried out helplessly.

"Ahhh...I can't, it hurts. It hurts, Remus!" she cried. Every time she glanced over at the creature hovering just ahead of them she winced in pain and curled back into herself.

" _Stupefy_!" Remus shouted, turning to throw the spell at the figure wrapped in smoke. The spell of red light fizzled as it hit the target and seemed to have no effect.

" _DEPRIMO_!" Remus shouted again, aiming the blasting spell at the floor below the figure.

The spell was wrapped up in the twisting mist and impossibly thrown back at him. Remus had just enough time to duck and fold himself over Jenelle's body as the spell went whizzing over their heads and hit the far wall of empty pots and gardening tools with a vicious blast. Pieces of shattered clay rained down on them with a tinkling sound and the dust from the explosion filled the air.

When Remus glanced up again, still carefully laid over Jenelle's whimpering body, he saw the figure standing as steadfast and dark as ever. Not approaching, not retreating.

"Sar-…" he heard Jenelle cry out weakly under his arms.

"What did you say?" Remus asked, coughing on the dusty air and pushing sweaty hair from Jenelle's face.

"I need… Sarah. Get Sarah," she called again, with marginally more strength in her voice.

"You're mad, I'm not leaving you here with that thing! We need a professor, Dumbledore or someone!" Remus exclaimed, trying to right himself so he could lift Jenelle's face to his own.

Her eyes were dark with enlarged pupils and her hands were grasping her arms so tightly her knuckles had gone white. She _looked_ near mad and was making breathing noises like her throat was crushed.

"Please, I need...her. Ughh-" she doubled over again and this time grabbed at her knees in pain.

 _What do I do?_ Remus thought frantically. _That thing could kill her! But, she seems so certain…_

"Okay okay, alright. I'll go get Sarah. I'll get help!" Remus patted around Jenelle's dress until he felt her wand and pulled it free. He unfurled one of her hands and forced the delicate wood into her palm.

"Use this if you can. I'll be back. I promise I'll be back!"

With a final gut-wrenching cry, he stripped himself from her side and glanced over his shoulder at the ever-present monster glaring back at him. He scowled in frustration and then sprinted from the room, hearing Jenelle's anguished cries fade away in his wake.


	28. Chapter 28 - Monsters Seen and Unseen

CHAPTER 28 - Monsters Seen and Unseen

* * *

Sarah could actually say, "Really, Sir, I have absolutely no idea what happened" and know she was telling the truth.

She was standing in front of Dumbledore's desk, a still-wavering Professor Slughorn having taken a chair to help his dizziness. Slughorn had worked himself into a right tiff in demanding that Dumbledore find the culprit of the prank that ruined his Slug Club party, up until the Headmaster had asked why the Potions Master himself hadn't used his own tracking spells to find the student responsible.

Slughorn (not wanting to admit that drink had clouded his judgment at the time) had flushed and stuttered, unable to think of a reason that wouldn't reveal his less than commendable actions. Judging by the knowing twinkle in Dumbledore's eye, Sarah was willing to bet that the old man already knew and was simply letting Slughorn bury himself deeper.

"Headmaster, if I could add something?" Sarah spoke up, interrupting Slughorn before he could work up steam for another rant.

"Of course my dear, go right ahead," the Headmaster gestured for her to continue.

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but to be quite honest I was intensely relieved at the timing of the prank, no matter who pulled it off."

Slughorn looked betrayed. "Relieved? Your fellow students could have been severely injured tonight Miss Yellowbanks!" he admonished from his seat.

 _Moll Dyer on the pyre Slughorn, shut up!_

Sarah could not believe he had done it again! Slytherin he may be but all bets at secrecy were apparently off as soon as a drop of alcohol was in his blood.

"Sir! That there slip of the tongue is the exact reason I was relieved!"

Dumbledore seemed to have caught the still-inebriated professor's mistake instantly and was now looking at her with evaluating eyes. She cringed, all too familiar with the feeling of being found out.

"Yellowbanks?" The Headmaster stroked his beard with long, methodical movements as he took in the sight of her. "Now, I knew from the start that you and Miss Montagnard were operating under assumed aliases, but I would never have guessed that you were actually a member of the Yellowbanks family. The only branch of the Original Fontaine if I'm not mistaken?"

"And there's a damn good reason for me to keep it a secret!" she huffed, too annoyed to mind her small curse. "The Fontaines and Yellowbanks split amicably, but they definitively split. We have nothing to do with each other! But every time someone makes the connection they automatically assume that the Yellowbanks have their hands all over Ilvermorny, just because the current Headmaster is a Fontaine!"

Dumbledore held up his hands placatingly, trying to calm her down. "Miss Ye-Waterbrook," he amended at the glare he received, "I am not your enemy here, no one is."

"I know that, I'm just trying to keep it that way. Jenelle and I already have enough on our plate with being time-traveling refugees, we don't need politics added to the mix!" She had reigned in her temper but was still badly bleeding out her annoyance. Her hand raised to ruffle furiously at her hair as she tried to calm down further.

"Please Professor," she almost begged as she faced Slughorn, who had been sitting quietly in shock ever since her outburst. "You can't let anyone know about this, or leaving this place to go back to the future is gonna be even harder than it already is!"

"She has a point Horace," Dumbledore spoke gently but firmly. "I have already spent a considerable amount of time ruminating on how to minimize our guests' impact on the past while they reside here, and potentially adding factors from outside the walls of Hogwarts is something I'd rather not have to make contingency plans for."

Slughorn, to his credit as the Head of Slytherin, did not stay puzzled for long. He sent a contrite look to the student in their midst.

"You're quite right, Headmaster. My dear girl," he made a clumsy bow from his chair, "I apologize. I should have never let my words get away from me tonight, I do hope you'll forgive an old man his mistakes?"

Sarah let the anger born of her anxiety ebb away little by little, soothed greatly by the understanding of her professor.

"Of course Sir," she sighed, "Nothing to forgive."

Dumbledore brought his hands together happily at a situation well-resolved. "Wonderful!" he said jovially. "Now, perhaps we might call it an evening and address this mystery in the morning?"

Before anything else could be said they all turned their heads at a commotion coming up from the stairs behind them. Sarah furrowed her brows as she tried to recognize the voice that was making such a clamor that his shouts echoed all the way from the base of the stairs.

"What in Merlin's name…?" Slughorn rose to his feet but was waved back down by an already upright Headmaster, who swiftly left the room with a brief "Pardon me," and disappeared into the shadows of the descending spiral staircase.

Sarah and Professor Slughorn waited in a strained silence, both wondering what in the world was going on. A few seconds later Dumbledore appeared again, a completely unexpected Remus Lupin at his heels.

"Sarah!" The werewolf lunged at her as soon as he saw her. Sarah let out a tiny squeak of surprise as her arms were gripped too tightly for a normal human to shrug off.

"Ow! Hey, watch it!" she yelped, but Remus didn't seem to hear her. He was trying to drag her from her place on the rug as he babbled frantically.

"You have to come! I don't know what it is but I couldn't do anything! She needs you!"

Sarah froze. This was starting to sound extremely familiar and a pit of dread began to grow in her gut.

She stopped in her tracks and spun the boy around the face her. She whispered as she looked into his eyes, hoping it wasn't true.

"Jenelle?"

"YES!" he screamed, his pupils blown wide with fear.

She threw his hands off of her, racing towards the doorway with Remus hot on her heels. Distantly she could hear Dumbledore tell Professor Slughorn to head back to his quarters for the night before the third pair of thudding footsteps joined the students.

"Miss Waterbrooke! Halt!"

Sarah ignored the Headmaster. Instead, she shouted over her shoulder as she ran, "Which way!?"

"The Greenhouses!" Remus called out.

 _Too far! It's too far!_

"Miss Waterbrooke, turn left and head to the outer corridor!"

Trusting that the Headmaster had a plan she banked left, entering the tower of moving staircases. She withdrew her wand, pointing it at the floor at the same time as she made a flying leap.

" _Page_!"

She landed in a crouch, one leg in front of her while she put all her weight on the back leg fully bent underneath her. Instead of coming to a stop the charm she had cast laid a kind of invisible, super-slick surface over the entirety of the staircase. Her leap had given her the momentum to slide down the flattened stairs at double the speed of decent. The charm continued all the way down to the next set of stairs and beyond as the castle seemed to be actively trying to help her; every staircase lined up perfectly so that by the end of her journey she had landed right in front of the exit to the courtyard.

Having cut the time it would have taken from minutes to mere seconds she spared a glance behind her to see how Lupin and the Headmaster had fared.

To his credit, Remus was only seconds behind her, his arms pinwheeling madly but still balanced for the most part. She braced herself and caught him right before he would have smashed into the floor, righting him quickly.

The Headmaster himself was actually falling rapidly but in a controlled fashion from the middle of the tower. He was using a spell that Sarah didn't recognize, descending like an elevator until he reached the appropriate landing and hopped off his invisible platform.

He spared a second to raise an eyebrow at the reckless girl in front of him.

"Now what?" Sarah demanded.

Dumbledore shook his head but took the lead, bringing them outside and into the cool night air.

"Now that we are not within the walls of Hogwarts, I can apparate us much more accurately to the front of the Greenhouses," he explained quickly. "Mister Lupin your hand please. Miss Waterbrooke if you could take his?"

They both immediately complied and with a crack like thunder they were gone, leaving nothing but the glow of a crescent moon in their wake.

* * *

Remus felt his stomach lurch unpleasantly as he and Sarah side-apparated with the Headmaster, but he pushed down his nausea instantly. They were right at the warped and shattered doors of the greenhouse and he spied the gaseous form of Jenelle's assailant through the foliage.

Sarah was the first one to enter the broken and dusty greenhouse. When the Headmaster and Remus entered behind her they almost ran into the smaller Gryffindor. The three of them stood there looking at the mess in the middle of the room.

All of the tables had been thrown to the perimeter. Remus saw, with a poignant twinge in his stomach, that the beautiful flowers that had lit his waltz with Jenelle were crushed or scattered in ashes across the floor.

Jenelle was laying in the exact spot Remus had left her. She was crying, streaks of tears wetting her hair as she lay back with her face pointed toward the glass ceiling. Her chest was heaving with unsteady breaths and her hands were clutching at the waist of her dress. Her eyes were so tightly shut that there were deep creases across the whole of her face.

It was a heart-wrenching sight that had Remus immediately sick to his stomach.

"Oh, Jen," he heard Sarah sigh, "I really thought we were done with this."

Remus opened his mouth to demand that Sarah explain what the bloody hell was going to; to beg Dumbledore to do something, _anything_ , he didn't know!

Before he could vocalize anything Sarah started forward with slow, methodical steps; moving like one would approach a wild hippogriff. Remus started to join her but was held back by a hand clamped around his shoulder. Jerking back, Remus turned to stare up into the face of the Headmaster who was looking straight ahead, an intensity in his unwavering gaze.

Remus quickly objected. "Sir!"

"Mister Lupin, stay here and do not, under any circumstances, move from this spot. Do you understand me?" Remus' protests wilted like a flower in the desert, wanting to argue but realizing that in this moment there was nothing he could do.

Nodding stiffly, he turned his head to watch as Dumbledore also slowly made his way forward, leaving Remus alone in the doorway.

From where he stood, Remus could easily see the _thing_ in the middle of the room. It hadn't moved at all, even with their boisterous arrival. The swirling black mist was soundlessly reaching out across the floor, licking at Jenelle's feet in a tormenting, almost taunting way.

The figure at the center of the fog was looking unsettlingly more and more like Jenelle herself, but with eyes as bright as fire and dark hair flat and plastered to her sunken and bewildering face.

It was Jenelle, but it wasn't anything like the sweet and star-speckled face he had only just been inches from kissing.

Sarah had reached her Ilvermornian friend and was kneeling at her side. She reached with careful hands to wrap her hand under her friend's head and hold it up off the floor. Remus could hear her cooing and making comforting sounds, the kind you would use on a crying child.

Jenelle was shaking her head from side to side, seemingly protesting Sarah's help. Sarah just continued her work, slowly peeling Jenelle's hands from her dress and rolling her friend on her side, facing away from the creature. Jenelle's eyes were still tightly shut and her mouth was moving as she murmured something over and over.

"That's it Jen," he heard Sarah say, "you're not dying, you're safe. I'm here and everything is fine now."

As Jenelle continued to mumble to herself Sarah stood and pulled out her wand. The creature cried out a chilling scream and pulsed forward as she did so. Sarah's presence seemed to agitate it most of all.

A low thrumming sound began to rattle the broken tables and the remaining potted plants and tools on the wall. Remus felt it vibrate under his feet, and again he felt the desperate need to act, but his growing fear had him rooted in place.

The Headmaster was now standing a few feet from the two girls, his wand drawn and aimed cautiously at the apparition before him.

"Miss Waterbrooke, now would be an excellent time to enlighten me as to what we are dealing with."

"Professor, look out!"

Remus screamed out a warning as the creeping mist made a violent lunge at the old wizard's legs, but Dumbledore had moved even as Remus had spoken.

A powerful stupefy jetted across the room, and for a moment Remus felt a flare of triumph. Surely Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of his age, could do what he himself could not?

But to the boy's absolute disbelief the red charm flew true to its mark at the mass of darkness but rebounded just as it had before, flying over Dumbledore's ducked head and splattering in a shower of sparks against the wall behind him.

Dumbledore looked grim as he straightened, raising his wand above his head in preparation to cast another spell only to halt when Sarah rose from where she had been taking care of Jenelle on the ground. She stepped over her friend and faced the darkness head-on without a hint of fear or surprise.

"Miss Waterbrook, I don't believe-"

"Enough," the girl replied, but Remus felt it was not directed at the Headmaster.

The fire-eyed ghost that so disturbingly resembled Jenelle had focused it's burning gaze upon the small girl, expanding its arms menacingly towards her. Jet black mist splayed outward like raven wings, an attack imminent. Sarah slid one foot back and turned to the side.

The rumbling intensified and Remus had to grab ahold of an overturned table to keep standing. He saw that Jenelle was outright screaming now, with her hands held in front of her, scrapping at the floor.

He couldn't wait a second longer, and it seemed neither could Dumbledore, for they both lunged forward at the same time, prepared to defend the girls from the beast.

Though, it would not be needed.

" _EXPECTO PATRONUM_!"

The force of Sarah's patronus threw Remus back in a flash of blue light. He fell to the ground and struggled to see through the stars that had plastered his eyes. The black creature was flying back across the greenhouse, pulling the rubble with its centrifugal force.

Though the mad rumbling had immediately subsided, Remus struggled to stand. Then he stopped when he saw the incredible and terrifying patronus in front of him.

It rose up above Sarah's head, over twice her height. Its body was long and scaled, slithering across the floor and creating a barrier around its caster, Dumbledore, and Jenelle. Three enormous snakeheads with gleaming white eyes were hissing and snapping at each other with long, pointed teeth.

Remus couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Students his own age had only managed a few feeble patronuses that usually resembled the most conventional of creatures. This creature was the stuff of nightmares and he couldn't believe it had been summoned by someone as small and unassuming as her!

"Merlin…" Remus exhaled in amazement. _Could Waterbrooke be using dark magic?_

The snake-like creature vaulted forward, snapping and hissing at the remains of the iniquitous black mass. The darkness no longer resembled Jenelle at all but spun itself with such ferocity it gathered all the smoke around it until it had disappeared entirely.

The patronus spun around, it's tail gathering around it as it slithered back to Sarah. Remus watched as the Headmaster tensed slightly, looking wary as the snake made its way back to curl around its caster.

Sarah seemed disinterested in the looming turquoise snake and instead fluttered back down to Jenelle's side. As she turned away from her patronus the snake lowered all three of its heads and glittered away into the air like a dried dandelion.

Sarah's face was solemn and serious as she looked up and called out to her two spectators.

"Remus, come help me with Jenelle." She turned to Dumbledore, who hadn't taken his eyes off her ever since she had cast the patronus charm. "Headmaster, we need to get to Madam Pomfrey immediately, she needs to be looked at right away."

He nodded slowly. "Of course Miss Waterbrooke. No time to waste."

Remus started out of his stupor.

"R-Right!" he stuttered loudly, crawling quickly across the floor to where Jenelle lay. Remus took over propping up a deathly still Jenelle, freeing up the girl's arms so that Sarah could position her. Remus felt that her skin was cold and all color had drained from her tear-stained face. Soon afterward the blonde hung lifelessly between the two of them with Sarah's powerful levitation charm.

As they made their way toward the door Remus looked back and saw that Dumbledore had yet to move, his eyes still heavy with something that Remus couldn't identify as he pinned his gaze on Sarah's back.

"S-sir?" he called out warily, not understanding the holdup.

The old wizard blinked a few times, then without another moment's hesitation, he quickly overtook the distance between them. He walked swiftly to match pace with Sarah, who already had a sizeable head start with Jenelle floating beside her.

Remus stuffed his wand into his pocket and followed Dumbledore towards the school infirmary, his thoughts a bludgeoned mess.


	29. Chapter 29 - The Lion Liaisons

CHAPTER 29 - The Lion Liaisons

* * *

Remus led the way to the Healers Wing with Dumbledore and Waterbrooke close behind. Sarah had her wand hand held out as she worked her levitation spell on Jenelle while they jogged down the halls. She looked exhausted, and while stepping up the stairs she tripped and with the loss of concentration her spell was broken.

It was only due to Remus's supernatural reflexes that he was able to catch Jenelle before she collided with the floor. He picked her up in his arms and forgot the notion of hiding his werewolf strength; things were too dire to care about that now.

"We need to move quickly now. Poppy is waiting for us." With that, Dumbledore approached Remus. The sandy-haired boy had been holding Jenelle to his chest in silence, still struggling to make sense of all that had happened.

 _But doing well enough considering, right?_

When the Headmaster came up to him though he nearly cracked inwardly in bone-deep relief. He couldn't help but take comfort at the sight of the old man and his gentle confidence.

"Professor," he croaked, feeling overwhelmed and unsure what to do next. He looked down at Jenelle in his arms with her tangled blonde hair obscuring her face.

Dumbledore gave him an encouraging smile, clasping his shoulder in a supportive grip. "You're doing remarkably well, my boy. Just a little longer."

Remus nodded, steeling his expression. He shifted Jenelle's weight and hugged her close

Within the minute they had finished their journey to Madame Pomfrey, who was waiting anxiously at the entrance to the infirmary.

"Albus! I got your patronus, what in Merlin's name is going on?" she cried as she took in the state of the girl Remus was carrying. Pomfrey quickly went about levitating Montagnard out of his arms and into the infirmary on a waiting bed close to the door, running diagnostics charms all the while.

"I may have an idea Poppy, but I believe that we should wait until Miss Montagnard has awoken before I confirm anything." Dumbledore turned his attention to Sarah, who immediately narrowed her eyes. "In the meantime, perhaps Miss Waterbrooke could elaborate on the situation?"

Remus finally tore his eyes away from Jenelle (his _date_ , they had been so happy seemingly minutes ago!) to pin the Asian with a look that conveyed exactly how serious he was about getting answers too.

 _I want to know what the bloody hell is going on!_

Sarah stepped up to the bed where her friend lay, speaking with a no-nonsense tone that would book no rebuttal. "Headmaster, I need to talk to you and Madame Pomfrey _alone._ Remus, you need to wait outside or go back to the common room."

Remus exploded, pushing past the mediwitch to grab at Sarah's shoulders, forcing her to face him. "The hell I will, Waterbrooke!" he screamed at her. "You owe me an explanation!"

Madam Pomfrey made to pull him away but Remus shrugged her off, refusing to back down.

"What was that thing back there?" he demanded, his grip tightening on Sarah's arms to the point of bruising, but he didn't care. He was through being the nice guy. "Why did it look like her? What the hell kind of patronus did you cast?"

" _Why did she ask for you!?_ "

His last sentence was met with silence. Remus watched Sarah draw herself up as much as she could, and although he towered over her by a full head she didn't seem intimidated by the discrepancy in the least.

"That _thing_ ," she explained slowly, "is something that Jenelle has had to deal with for years." She reached up to remove Remus' hands from her arms, prying them off easily with unexpected strength.

"It looked like her because that is its nature." She stepped closer until she and Remus were close enough to share breaths.

"My patronus is a _Runespoor_ and one of the only things that can dispel it." Remus heard a gasp somewhere behind him but ignored it to stare directly into the thunderous gaze in front of him.

"And she asked for me because she _didn't need you_." Here her voice became a hiss, cruel against all others in protection of one.

Remus stumbled back, his legs giving out as he dropped onto the bed next to Montagnard. Sarah looked down at him, judging and cold. For a moment, Remus thought she would leave it at that with his heart shattered by her callousness, but she simply sighed and pressed her bridge of her nose in annoyance. Her unapproachable aura slowly gave way to the kinder one she usually carried.

She crouched down until she was eye level with him, placing a small hand on his knee.

"I'm sorry, it's not your fault," she told him, "you did everything you could, and you did it right. She's as good as she is now because of you. So, thank you." She smiled weakly at him and Remus hitched his breath in an aborted sob.

"I didn't know what I was doing." His confession was quiet and strained. "I thought I was leaving her to her death when I ran to find you."

Sarah laughed, and it was so unexpected that Remus jerked away, looking at her with wide-eyed disbelief.

"Don't be so dramatic, you did good." Her amusement seemed to leech the despair from around Remus. He wanted so desperately for things to return to a familiar normalcy, and hearing Waterbrooke's sarcastic tone really did the trick.

"Go back to the Tower, Remus," she insisted again. "It'll be Jenelle's choice to tell you more about what happened, but I think she really likes you. She might just trust you with this so can you trust her, and me, enough to wait?"

Remus took a deep breath before letting it out in one burst of exhalation. "...Yeah, I can do that. I guess I'll see you later then." He stood up woodenly, making his way to the exit amidst the silent stares of the two adults.

When he was almost through the doorways she spoke up once more.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, "for everything you did tonight Lupin, I owe you."

Remus shook his head, turning slightly to give her a weak smile. "Nothing to owe," he reassured.

With that he exited for good, leaving Sarah alone with Dumbledore, Pomfrey, and a silent Montagnard.

* * *

Sarah's legs felt as if they had been charmed to weigh a hundred pounds each. She trudged up the final staircase leading to her dorm at a snail's pace, her eyes half-closed and her gait fumbling once or twice.

 _If only my Page charm worked upwards like an escalator…._

She thanked Isolt and James that the Slug Club dinner had been held on a Friday so she had two days to recover from her bone-deep exhaustion. Had it been a school night she would have skipped classes the next day faster than a wampus after a hare, no matter the consequences.

The Fat Lady was fast asleep, which was understandable considering it was long past midnight. Dumbledore and Pomfrey had questioned her intensely in the infirmary but she had stood adamantly against them, determined to only share that which was medically relevant. Pomfrey had been particularly difficult, turning an amusing shade of eggplant purple in the cheeks with agitation.

It had frustrated everyone to no end, but they had eventually agreed that certain details could be discussed at a later date and had excused Sarah for the night.

All this left her standing outside her dorm, so close and yet so far. For a second she honestly debated just camping out on the stones below her feet, but came to her senses soon enough; Southern manners could only be expected so much until it just became downright insane.

She compromised by knocking on the frame gently, hoping that perhaps a night-owl Gryffindor would hear and investigate. Surprisingly, it worked quite quickly. She heard a strange thump after her second knock, as if someone had fallen to the floor, then hurried footsteps growing louder. She took a step back as the portrait swung open gently, firelight trickling from inside to bath the darkened halls with its gentle glow.

The face that popped out from behind the picture frame caused such a wave of mixed emotions that for a second all she could do was stare dumbly.

"Sirius? Wha-"

He lunged forward, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Sarah!"

She remained frozen, staring up and over his shoulder as he continued squeezing the life out of her. "What are you doing up?" she asked softly.

"I was waiting for you," he whispered into her hair. His hand had buried itself in the tangled black locks while his other arm pulled her tightly against him. "Remus came back a mess, told the rest of us what had happened. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she replied automatically. He finally pulled away to look at her but she just stared at his chest and refused to meet his eyes. He eventually sighed and reached down to grasp her arm, pulling her over the threshold and into the common room proper.

He led her to the big sofa, close enough to feel the warmth emanating from the fireplace. Sitting her down, he turned to grab a huge pillowy comforter that someone must have brought down from the rooms above, and covered her completely. She pulled up her legs to tuck them underneath her, leaning heavily against the plush cushions at her back.

Sirius took a seat right next to her, raising up the comforter just long enough to slip underneath as well, until they were both snug and warm.

They weren't touching, yet it felt all the more intimate for it. There was an electrical tension in the air between them but Sarah was too tired to care about her insecurities when it came to this boy in front of her, not after the night she'd had.

She looked up from where she had laid her head, her body angled to face his. She found him peering at her worriedly, his gaze searching her face for any signs of trouble.

"Everything's fine," she managed to get out. "Lupin got to me quickly enough so that there won't be any lasting side effects. She should wake up within the day. You don't have to worry."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but Montagnard isn't the one I'm worried about right now love." He hesitated a split-second before moving to lessen the distance between them even more.

"I'm fine," she insisted, but even she could hear the exhaustion in her own voice.

"You're not," he replied. "Remus told me that you used some kind of super patronus to chase away the mist, said he'd never seen anything like it before. He said that you mentioned something about _mythical_ patronuses?"

"He's not wrong, I did that, I said that." She closed her eyes, bringing a hand to rub at her forehead. That was not a conversation she wanted to have just yet; not with Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, or any of the Marauders.

Belatedly she realized that she was still in her outfit from the party, whereas Sirius was clad in his sleepwear; black, silky sleeping pants and matching button-up. She suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable and made to kick off her boots, rustling under the comforter until both boots and socks were kicked off.

Sirius hadn't spoken the entire time, though one eyebrow had risen in curiosity.

She met his gaze flatly. "What?"

"Nothing," he smiled innocently, and she eventually let it go after one more look of warning.

"Look Sirius, I'm tired." She shifted again but now, with her head rested against the sofa, she was a mere breath away from the boy's chest.

"Please. I'd rather just tell everything to ya'll in the mornin'. Or I'll let Jenelle do it. For now, could you just, let me _sleep_?" Her voice wasn't begging, but it was just shy of plaintive.

He chuckled, the sound so much louder than usual in the silence of the room. She felt a hand gently stroke her hair, featherlight and fleeting. "You shouldn't sleep here Waterlily, what if someone comes by?"

"Then I'll deal with it," she grumbled, but she knew he was right. The thought of Lighthaven or some other jackass coming across her while she slept definitely put her on edge, pulling her out of her growing lethargy.

She growled in agitation, earning another smothered laugh from Sirius. She started to get up but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"What is it?" she asked blearily.

He was staring at her again, and she was awake enough now that her old insecurities were starting to act up. Fidgeting when no answer came, she moved again only this time to be stopped when Sirius suddenly leaned forward.

Before she could get out a word his lips were on hers, his hands coming up to cradle her face before one moved to thread into her hair.

She should have moved away. She should have punched him. She should have _acted_.

Well she did, just not the way her brain would have wanted her to. In fact, her brain had just gone on vacation to Tripoli, leaving her with only her heart at the helm and her heart decided that sliding her eyes closed and leaning forward was a great idea.

It was a gentle kiss at first, but it didn't stay that way for long; Sirius was too, well, too much of _himself_ to be satisfied with a simple peck. She felt her lips being coaxed open tentatively, and she allowed it after only a slight hesitation.

The kiss grew heavier, seconds melting like slow-moving honey, matching the sweet taste she suddenly found in her mouth.

She finally pulled away desperate for air and met his eyes with her own sleepy gaze.

Whatever he saw caused his eyes to darken from mercury to burnished steel: heavy and entrapping.

He was moving toward her again. "Sarah..." he whispered, tilting his head as he came closer.

 _FUCK!_

She sprang away, almost falling over herself in her mad dash from the sofa. She barely remembered to scoop up her boots as she ran for the stairs to the girl's dorms. Without looking back she raced for her bed and hid behind its partition as soon as she landed on the mattress.

She shucked off her dress and bra and _accio_ 'd her simple cotton nightshirt with a trembling hand on her wand. She buried her head in her mountain of pillows, willing her heart to stop pounding to no avail.

"What the hell did I just do?" she whispered brokenly into the darkness.

There was no answer.


	30. Chapter 30 - When a Tigerlily Roars

CHAPTER 30 - When a Tigerlily Roars

* * *

"Psst, Lily. Lily."

Lily Evans paused as she was about to leave her dorm. Glancing around in confusion, she finally located the source of the noise coming from with the dark confines of Sarah Waterbrooke's bed.

The curtains around the bed had been drawn completely except for a tiny opening where Sarah could be seen making beckoning gestures. Curious, Lily walked back towards the bed she had just past.

"Sarah?"

"I need your help, Lily." The girl looked like hell to be honest; her hair was mussed, her eyes tired, and it looked like she had barely gotten any sleep.

"What's the matter?" Lily crept closer, trying not to draw attention from the few girls still lingering in the room.

Sarah bit her lip before giving the redhead a pleading look. "Could you come in here? I need to ask you something."

Lily nodded instantly, moving aside one of the curtains to sit on the mattress. The other girl immediately closed the fabric, casting a nonverbal muffliato. Now Lily was really curious, and getting slightly worried as well.

"What in the world is going on, Sarah?" She kept her voice patient, although inside she was chomping at the bit to find whoever had put her friend into a tizzy and hex the living daylights out of them.

The subdued girl looked lost, as if she didn't know where to start. "I, umm," she stuttered, "can I, ask you a question?"

"Of course!"

"...Umm, well. Just, on average. How much experience would you say you have with, err, guys?"

Lily felt her heart stop before it kicked back in with a fiery vengeance. "What did Black do?" she hissed out, leaning forward to grasp the girl by both arms.

Sarah looked baffled. "Wha- wow, how did you even know? Oh, I mean," she shook her head forcefully, "Never mind..."

She had paused again, leaving Lily with a mounting horror. "Sarah!"

The girl flinched, blurting out "He kissed me last night!"

"Oh. Bloody. Hell." Lily didn't know what to think. She was torn on many fronts. She felt a huge wave of pity for the little creature in front of her; Sarah had never asked to be pursued by a dog like Black. She was also mentally preparing a list of curses that would hopefully, _finally_ , teach said mutt that his womanizing ways had crossed the line.

"Umm, yeah..." Sarah trailed off in awkwardness. "So, what should I do?"

Lily instantly replied. "You hold him down while I curse his bollocks off."

"Woah, hey, wait!" Sarah waved her hands in the air, cutting through Lily's rising temper. "Don't you think that's a bit too much? And that's me saying that. I _like_ violence, Jenelle chastises me over it all the time!"

"Of course it isn't too much!" Lily retorted hotly. "Don't tell me you liked it?!"

Silence.

Lily felt herself deflate as her eyes went soft with pity. "Oh sweetie," she whispered, reaching out to gather the girl into her arms. The poor thing looked so lost, it nearly broke her heart.

"I don't know what to do." Sarah's confession was a whisper laced with fear and panic. "There's so much that's messed up about this, Lily. I'm only here for so long, you know? It just seems so stupid to get attached to someone if I'm just gonna leave in a year. And Sirius is Sirius, and he's popular, and hot, and I'm just me. Why is he even wasting his time?"

Lily pulled back to look the despairing girl in the eyes. "Sarah Waterbrooke," she said sternly, causing the girl to freeze in place. "You are ten times a better person than Black will _ever_ be, and don't ever think anything else, you hear me young lady?"

Sarah looked away, and Lily couldn't help the twinge of hurt that her friend wouldn't believe in her words. She brushed it aside though; this wasn't about her, this was about Sarah.

She tried to organized her thoughts, speaking slowly. "So, if I'm understanding you correctly, one of the things you're worried about is that you think any relationship you might have is doomed from the start because you're going to leave by next year?" She received a miserable nod.

Lily sighed, scooting forward so that now they were both resting against the headboard of Sarah's bed. She threw one arm over the dark-haired girl's shoulders, drawing her into a supportive hug. Sarah leaned in until her head was resting on Lily's shoulder.

"Well, if that's the case Sarah, I don't know what I can tell you. I can see where you're coming from, sure, but I don't think worrying about the future is good for any kind of relationship, much less this kind of situation where you haven't even been out on a date with the bloke!"

Sarah was silent in her contemplation, and Lily was happy to see that the girl was taking her words to heart, carefully turning them over in her head before responding. "I guess that's true," she eventually admitted.

"Of course it is, I'm the one telling you!" Lily gave a teasing grin and was met with a huff of amusement; not the laugh she was going for but she'd take it. Her smile lessened though as she moved onto the second, much more touchy subject.

"But as for the bloke in question being Black..." she trailed off, not sure how to continue.

In her opinion, Sirius Black was an absolute scoundrel, and that was just his typical personality on a day-to-day basis. When it came to girls and dating though, well, Lily had always likened him to the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood; luring in his prey with honeyed words and sweet promises only to take what he wanted and leave behind nothing but misery. The thought of this tiny girl that Lily was starting to really care about going through what countless others in Hogwarts had experienced was galling to say the least.

"Listen, Sarah," Lily looked down as she spoke, uncomfortable with what she was about to say, but needing to get it out in the open. "Black, well, he has a reputation around school. Pretty much every girl he's been with he's dumped as soon as he loses interest. The longest relationship he ever had was with Carmichael in Ravenclaw, and that was only for about three months last year."

"My point is, I don't know how serious you think he is about you, but I just don't want you getting hurt by him." She turned to look as Sarah, only to gasp in sadness. "Oh, no, no don't cry sweetie, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed rocking her back and forth.

Sarah didn't cling, didn't wail, her tears were silent save for her sniffles. "I know, I know." Her voice was strangled with emotion, and Lily held her tighter, cursing herself for opening her big fat mouth.

"It's true, I know that. So why?" Sarah's breath hitched. "Why do I still want to?"

Lily babbled in her haste to reassure he friend. "Oh darling, I'm so sorry! You just forget about what I said, don't you even worry! Why, I bet you anything Black is totally over the moon for you, I could see it from day one! You'll see, I, I," she scrambled for something else to say, before she was hit by a lightning bolt of desperate brilliance.

"I know!" She pulled back, wiping at Sarah's tears with her fingers frantically. "I'll talk to Potter! If anyone knows Black's mind, it'll be him. I'll just beat the truth out of Potter and if he says that Black is being sincere, then everything will be groovy!"

"But you hate talking to James!" Sarah was looking at her, shocked at the offer, and Lily couldn't help but wince when she truly started thinking about what she had just signed herself up for.

"It doesn't matter," she insisted, "you're my friend, and there's no way you're gonna date Sirius Black unless we figure out if he's playing around or not. If it takes having to soldier through a conversation with James Potter," she shuddered before continuing, "then that's what I'm going to do."

Sarah buried her face in her hands, although to Lily's relief the girl was hiding laughter and not sobs. "You're absolutely amazing Lily," Sarah managed to get out through her watery giggles. Lily puffed up with pride.

"Don't you worry, Sarah," she got off the bed, heading for the door. "I'm going to take care of this right now. You just stay here and wait until I come back; I'll grab you something from the Hall for breakfast."

A soft, heartfelt "Thank you," followed her out of the door. Lily strode purposefully down the steps, her features becoming hard. She checked to make sure she had her wand in her pocket and, noticing that it was so, she exited the common room and headed straight for the Great Hall.

She had a boy or two to threaten, and Merlin save them both if she didn't like what she heard.

* * *

Sarah was glad that she had talked to someone, even if she wished it had been Jenelle instead of Lily.

Not to say that Lily wasn't being an awesome friend, but what she had really wanted was her best friend: the one who knew where her issues stemmed from, the one that knew when to be hard with her and when to be supportive. Lily meant well, of course she did, the girl was about to go instigate a conversation with probably her most hated enemy for her! Sarah appreciated the protective redhead even more than before, but she and Lily and were still learning about each other, and sometimes made mistakes with their word choices.

" _Pretty much every girl he's been with, he's dumped as soon as he loses interest. The longest relationship he ever had with with Carmichael in Ravenclaw, and that was only for about three months last year_."

Sarah didn't want to admit it but those words, an honest attempt to prepare her in case things went south, were less comforting and more depressing. It was basically a confirmation of all of Sarah's fears: that although Sirius might (for some unfathomable reason) hold a sincere interest in her, it wouldn't last. They would potentially have a few months of something beautiful and exciting and new, but that was it.

He would get tired of her, things would get awkward. She would lose her new friends, they would of course stand by their longtime bro before her, and she totally got that. But it was heart-rending.

She didn't know what news she wanted Lily to bring back with her. The safe thing would be to hear that Sirius was just being himself. It would sting, but she would be able to move on from it, to joke about it.

If he was being truthful though, if last night wasn't a fluke and the emotion she had seen in his eyes was real though? What then?

 _I'm a masochist_ , she thought numbly to herself. _I'm crushing on a guy that winds up getting betrayed by one of his closest friends and gets thrown in Azkaban for being framed for the murder of his best friend. If he ever found out I knew, he'd rightly hate my guts. I am so fucked._

The answer was obvious; she should just tell him that they could never be anything more than friends. He might be a little hurt but he'd bounce back soon enough. He was Sirius Black for goodness sake!

 _But..._

She thought about how large his hands were when they were cupping her face; how small yet safe they made her feel. She thought of the heat that had raced through her when they had kissed, how her heart had pounded, how her mind had gone hazy.

There were so many things to consider, so many issues that were already piling up against her and Sirius being together. But still, she couldn't kill off the tiny flicker of hope that had lit inside of her heart. A fire had begun to burn the instant Sirius had held her in his arms for the first time.

 _Please. Let this be for real._

* * *

Sirius was being the moodiest that James had ever witnessed in their six long years of friendship.

He bespeckled boy watched in fascination as Padfoot's face ran through a gamut of expressions. One second the barmy bloke would be humming, cheerfulness and satisfaction practically oozing out of his pores. The next he was dark and sullen, pushing at the food on his plate and glaring spitefully at the table like it had just insulted his hair.

James and the others had no idea how to react when they had woken up to this mercurial Sirius Black, and their friend was being less than willing to explain. Normally the chatty teen wouldn't hesitate to moan and groan over whatever had him in a funk, but this time was different. Their fellow Marauder had been uncommonly tight-lipped about the whole thing, and James could only assume that something had happened last night when Sirius had been waiting up for Sarah to arrive from Dumbledore's office.

 _Speaking of, where is she?_ James mused as he looked up and down the Gryffindor table; no Sarah. _Maybe she's gone to visit Montagnard at the infirmary already?_

That was another mystery of epic proportions to take in; just what had happened after James had escorted Evans back to Gryffindor Tower?!

Moony had been in a depressing and traumatized state ever since he had returned to the common room the night before and told them what he had seen in the greenhouse. It seemed like everyone James knew had gone through some sort of life-changing or traumatic event except for him! He would almost feel left out except that James wisely decided that he didn't need that much drama in his life, thank you very much. He already had enough on his plate with trying to convince his Tigerlily to go out on a date with him; he didn't need mythical-level spells and emotional angst on top of that.

"Potter."

 _Speak of the goddess!_

James glanced behind him, hardly daring to hope that what he'd heard wasn't a trick, but his ears didn't lie, Lily Evans was right behind him, speaking to him _willingly_.

 _Merlin, is my hair alright? Do I have crumbs on my face? What is she doing here? Where's a bloody napkin when you need one?!_

"Lily, what brings you here? Have you heard anything about Jenelle?" Remus was the one that spoke first, leaving James to pout at the werewolf.

 _No fair Moony, she was talking to me!_

"Uhm no, should I have?" James watched as the girl of his dreams looked puzzled by the question. Remus shook off his request as nothing and Lily gave a quizzical eyebrow raise before bringing her attention back to James.

"Can I speak to you?" James could have danced for joy. _A love confession! After all this time!_

"O-Of course!" He jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain he felt when his knee collided with the underside of the table. He bowed clumsily towards her, offering an arm with what he hoped was a charming grin. "Shall we, my lady?"

Lily completely ignored his offer, brushing past him and towards the exit in a clear command to follow or be left behind. He quickly sprinted to catch up, ignoring the curious gazes following them as they left the Great Hall.

"Umm, so where're we going?" He had pictured how this would play out in so many different ways, and he wanted to be absolutely sure just which of his very detailed fantasies was about to come true.

 _Ooh, maybe the one where she takes me into an empty classroom and throws herself into my arms? Or maybe the one where she confesses her feelings for me in the stands of the Quidditch pitch?_

"Just follow me, and be quick about it!" James pouted but complied, throwing his arms behind his head in a show of nonchalance when in actuality he was sweating up a storm.

His beautiful Lily-flower eventually led them to an unoccupied room ( _Yes! Classroom confession it is!_ ) shutting the door behind them and immediately pinning him with a gorgeous, emerald-eyed glare.

"So," he tried to sound as suave as he could, running a hand through his chocolate brown hair, "how can I help you Miss Evans?"

He immediately back off when Evans pulled her wand on him.

"Woah woah!" he yelped, putting some distance between the two, "what kind of confession is this!?"

Lily looked highly unimpressed. "Are you out of your pea-sized mind, Potter?" she hissed, "this is an interrogation, not some silly little love escapade!"

"Interrogation?" he repeated dumbly. "About what?"

 _Where was this coming from?_

"You're going tell the truth as if you were under the influence of veritaserum Potter. Do you understand me?"

He nodded quickly. "Sure, sure, whatever you say!" _What in Merlin's beard is veritaserum?_

She narrowed her gaze, staring him down for a few more seconds before speaking. "Alright Potter, what do you know about Black's intentions towards Sarah?"

James felt his brain come to a complete stop.

"Huh?"

"Don't play dumb with me Potter!" Evans looked livid and as beautiful as it made her, James was exceedingly aware of the angry red sparks that were coming off of the tip of her wand.

"I bet Black bragged all night long didn't he?" she spat. "I bet you all had a jolly good laugh at the poor new transfer, finally falling for the esteemed Sirius Black's charms. Well, not this time!"

She stepped forward menacingly. "This time you've gone too far! How dare you, how dare Black play with that girl's poor heart!"

"WOAH!" James interrupted as quickly as he could, trying to make sense of what he was hearing and failing miserably. "Wait just a bloody minute! What are you saying, Sirius and Sarah hooked up?"

"Hah! He only wishes!"

James couldn't help but feel a wave of relief at that. He loved Padfoot a lot, he really did, but that mate of his really knew how to arse things up in a relationship despite all his "experience". If he had actually shacked up with Sarah (the night her Merlin-damned best friend was sent to the infirmary of all times!) even James wouldn't have been able to save the poor bastard from his divine retribution.

"Well, glad to know Siri has at least some decency with his timing," he muttered to himself. Unfortunately it wasn't quiet enough for Lily to miss.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Err..."

"Potter!"

" _Montagnard's in the infirmary!_ " he blurted out before clapping his hands over his mouth. Shite! Remus had said specifically that whatever had happened they couldn't let out any details, sparse as they were. And here he had just cocked it up less than twelve hours in!

"WHAT? Why!?"

"Err, well…" Bloody hell how was he supposed to fix this? "She, umm, Montagnard has err, anemia!"

 _Anemia? What the ever loving fuck, Potter? That's the best you could come up with?_

Luck of all luck Lily seemed to be buying it, though she still seemed skeptical. "Anemia?" she repeated doubtfully. James dipped his head in agreement.

"Oh yeah, totally. She wants it kept a secret so, you know, don't go spreading it around or anything, but she collapsed when she was walking back with Remus last night and had to be taken to Pomfrey. The poor bloke is pretty torn up about it."

 _That was good!_ James mentally patted himself on the back in admiration at his own amazing improv skills.

She still didn't seem to be completely convinced but she eventually moved on. "Well, then, that makes things even worse!" ( _Ok so, she kind of moved on?_ ) "How dare he take advantage of Sarah when she's emotionally compromised!?"

"Emotional compro-, what?" James needed answers. "Evans, I'm telling you, Sirius didn't say anything to us last night! Is whatever you're talking about the reason he's been acting like a confunded moron this morning?"

"...He really didn't say anything?"

"Yes!" he stressed, getting a bit annoyed. This wasn't anything like he had hoped for. Instead of having a beautiful bird in his arms, he was having to defend his best mate from his own idiocy.

"Fine. I'll believe that at least."

 _Well thank you so much Miss Evans, how benevolent of you._

"But that doesn't answer my original question!" she continued hotly, raising her wand back up from where it had slowly fallen to her side. "You tell me right now Potter! If Black is only playing with Sarah's heart in hopes for a quick shag I swear to Merlin I'm going to hex his beater balls off!"

"Playing?" he scoffed, crossing his arms while shaking his head. "You really don't know anything about Sirius, do you Evans? I've never seen him this genuine about a bird before, and that's a fact!"

She looked like she wanted to argue, her mouth opening and closing with multiple aborted attempts to speak. Eventually she just sighed, pocketing her wand and moving to lean against the desk behind her.

"Bloody hell, this is a right mess." Her hands were holding her forehead, and James carefully meandered forward until he was almost in front of her.

"Did something happen to Sarah?" he asked. His answer was a frustrated nod.

"She's upstairs in the dorms, justifiably upset at the thought that Black was just having a go at her last night." She managed a weak glare at him. "You know, this wouldn't even be a problem if you and your other Marauder chums smacked some sense into that man a long time ago."

"Hey now, Sirius is his own man, I don't get a say in what he does!"

She sighed but nodded. "I suppose so."

There was an awkward silence as both Lily and James assimilated all the new information they had learned.

"So, Sirius snogged Sarah then?"

"Uh huh."

"And she thinks that he's playing her for a lark?"

"Pretty much."

"Bollocks."

"Yep."

James ruffled his hair, agitated at the whole thing. "Guess I better go tell him that he's got a fine mess on his hands."

"You do that. I better not ever hear something like this again Potter, or your mate is going to find himself hung upside down out of the Astronomy tower."

James chuckled, looking at the girl next to him with honest respect.

"You'd go the limit for the people you care about, huh Evans?" He'd always admired that about her, even if he could never understand why she believed that someone as greasy as Snivellus deserved her protection and loyalty.

The redhead was now sporting a faint red blush across her pale cheeks and James nearly cooed with how cute it was.

"Yes, well," she stumbled, "don't you ever forget it Potter!"

He smiled. "Never in a million years, Lily-flower."


	31. Chapter 31 - Black Lion's Mirth

CHAPTER 31 - Black Lion's Mirth

* * *

Sirius was racing through the halls, almost bowling over a group of shrieking firsties as he cut a tight corner. He didn't care though; he needed to get back to the tower as quickly as possible and no potential physical injuries to anyone (other than himself) was going to stop him.

"Blast it!" he swore as he shoulder-checked a third year Ravenclaw, giving him an up yours when the boy began cursing at him vehemently. He didn't have time for this!

He sprinted up the final staircase, startling the Fat Lady into shrieking.

"My goodness Mister Black, just what in magic's gotten into you!" she demanded.

"Sorrycan'ttalkMandragoraplease!" he spat out the password in a rush.

She swung open, commenting on his wretched manners the whole time. He gave a quick thanks and jumped in. The common room was blessedly empty, everyone was still downstairs eating breakfast, which meant that he didn't have to be subtle.

He skidded to a stop in front of the stairs leading to the girl's dorms, not for the first time cursing whatever magic prevented men from going up the steps. "Sarah! Get down here now!"

He waited anxiously for a reply. What he got was far from what he wanted; he yelped as a textbook whizzed over his head accompanied by a bellowing "Piss off, Black!"

"Damn it woman, I said get down here!" Another book ( _Beetle and the Bard?_ ), this time he was ready though, deflecting it to the side with a charm.

"Sarah!"

"Go away!"

He groaned in frustration, about ready to rip out his envy-worthy hair. "Bloody hell woman, I'm trying to tell you something!"

"Well then say it from the bottom of the damn stairs Black!"

He flushed. He couldn't- even if they _were_ technically alone, no bloody way was he going to-!

"L-Look, just, come down here! Please! It's important, Waterlily!"

He held his breath, taking the lack of flying education materials as a good sign. Sure enough, quiet footsteps slowly descended the stairs, and finally he was able to see the girl he had spent the last twelve hours agonizing over.

Her face looked recently washed, although her hair was still slightly mussed. She had forgone her robes since it was the weekend, instead opting for a white shirt and-

 _Blimey, those have got to be the shortest shorts to ever short_ , he thought dazedly.

"Well? What?"

Sirius blinked, putting aside the delectable amount of smooth, golden skin that was on display before him to meet her eyes. He immediately cringed when he saw traces of red; she must have been crying just now and it caused his heart to constrict painfully.

He moved forward slowly, approaching like one would an irate cockatrice.

"Love, I'm- Look, I'm so sorry," he started, holding out his arms to her in an unvoiced invitation for her to step forward. She refused.

"What do you want, Black?"

He flinched again, before becoming angry. _Really now, this is uncalled for!_

"Damn it Waterlily, I'm trying to apologize for apparently being a right arse last night and you're not making it any easier for me!"

His glare was returned tenfold. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I just make your life a little harder? My bad darlin', you just go right along with what you were doin' and I'll just stand here and take it, m'kay?"

 _Flaming quaffles_ , that drawl of hers was significantly less cute when it was drenched in sarcasm and directed his way.

"I- damn it, look." _Why was this so bloody hard?_

She sneered at him, turning around to walk back up the stairs. "Whatever Black, last night was a mistake I get it. I won't bother you about it so no need to burst a blood vessel trying to save my feelings."

 _Damn it that was the last straw!_ His eyes and his face blazed as he yelled up at her.

"I LIKE YOU!"

His words had stopped her dead, but she hadn't turned around. "You like a lot of girls from what I've heard."

He scowled. "Not like this! Merlin's balls Sarah, how are you not getting what I'm trying to say!?"

"Well what am I supposed to think!" She had spun around to scream at him, but was still multiple steps away, steps that he couldn't take toward her. "Ever since day one it's been ' _Waterlily_ ' this and ' _Oh hey gurl, whatchu up to?_ ' that and ' _Yo babe, let me holla at ya!_ '

He had no idea what some of that meant, but the overall meaning was easy enough to catch. His confundment didn't stop her rant though.

"What the hell and I supposed to think when someone like you takes an interest in someone like me, huh?" she continued "' _Oh he must be sincere, look at that spotless track record of his_!"

"The hell do you mean _someone like you_ , Waterbrooke?" he growled dangerously, but it only seemed to spur her on. She finally descended all but the last few steps, just out of reach. She probably figured that he'd take the opportunity to yank her down and damn it if she wasn't right.

"' _Someone like you_ ' means a guy that can have any girl he wants and for some reason decides to play around with me!"

"I wasn't playing around last night!"

"Well, then what the hell were you thinking? You can't just kiss someone out of nowhere like that!"

"You snogged right back!"

"I was emotionally compromised!"

"The bloody hell does that even mean!?"

"It means you're thicker than oatmeal, you moron!"

 _Finally!_ She'd leaned forward just enough in her rage. His hand shot out to grab at her arm and he pulled fiercely, stumbling backwards a few steps as her smaller body collided with his. He instantly wrapped his arms around her to prevent her from taking out her fury on him, pinning her arms between his chest and hers.

"Damn-it-stop-moving-and just-listen!" he begged, not knowing what else to do to make himself heard.

She wiggled around for a few more seconds before finally slumping against him. The sudden dead-weight in his arms caused his knees to buckle, and he found himself with a lapful of girl, her legs sprawled on either side of his own.

 _This would be favorable in any other circumstance, but not right now._

"Err, Waterlily?" he called out hesitantly. He tried looking her in the eyes but she had hidden her face from him, turning so that her head was resting against his chest and refusing to look up.

"Let. Go." she said flatly.

He instantly refused. "No. Merlin, love, why is it so hard for you to believe that I honestly like you?"

She didn't answer, and Sirius could admit that it hurt. He loosened his grip just enough so that his arms became a hold instead of a cage. His next words were an entreaty that came from the heart.

"Can't you trust me?"

He waited, heart in his throat, for her response.

"No."

It wasn't said in anger. It wasn't _said_ as a crucio to his heart but that's what it did anyway. He swallowed, his throat tight.

"Why not?" he croaked out.

"I… It's not just because of you."

His eyes narrowed. "Well then what is it?" he demanded.

"…"

"Sarah."

She finally pulled back to glare up at him. There were no tears in her eyes which he was glad for; he was rather altogether useless in the face of birds crying.

"It hurt enough the last time, okay?" she hissed out.

 _The last time?_

"...The last time, what?" he asked warily, not sure he wanted to know but needed to ask anyway.

She looked bitter as she met his eyes, as if challenging his very soul. "The last time someone said the same things you say, did the same things you do. He asked me out in front of everyone just like you, but when I refused he got pissed and turn it around. Made it seem like I was the one being a ' _stone-cold bitch_ ' if I remember his words correctly."

Sirius felt a rage build up inside of him; _some arse had dared call her that?_

"I've already seen what saying yes would have gotten me Sirius, because he turned around and asked the next girl after a few refusals from me. And you know what? He dumped her as soon as he found out she was pregnant. She was only fifteen." She laughed mirthlessly, and it broke his heart a little to hear such a sound come from her lips.

"Merlin," he breathed out. He couldn't think of anything else to say.

"So yeah," she shrugged. "That's that."

"Like bloody hell it is!" He felt highly insulted that she could ever compare himself to some raging bastard like she'd spoken of. "I don't know where you got the idea but I would never, ever do that to you Sarah."

She didn't answer him and he suddenly felt his anger disappear, replaced with a need to prove himself.

"Waterlily, _Sarah_ , look at me." He used a hand to coax her to meet his eyes, trying to convey just how sincere he was being. "I would never hurt you like that," he swore.

"You can't promise that," she breathed out, but she didn't move away when his hand moved from under her chin to stroke lightly at the curve of her cheek. It was soft and cool under his fingers and he got lost for a moment in a fantasy of what the rest of her might feel like.

"I'm promising you anyway. I want this, whatever it is, to work out. Let me show you Waterlily" he pleaded gently.

He wouldn't give up, not on this, not on what they could be. It took James and Evans knocking sense into his skull but he finally understood just how invested he was in this girl, this beautiful girl that had refused him time and again since they had met. And every time he had fallen a little more until he found himself in over his head.

Merlin above, he was in deeper than he'd thought.

"I, I can't Sirius." Her words were choked with emotion. He ignored the sting of her refusal, unable to accept it.

"Come on, what are you so afraid of?" he asked instead, giving her a challenging smirk. He knew she could never resist, she was too feisty for that.

"A lot," she answered right back, smiling slightly. "Heights, the dark, spiders, clowns, needles."

He chuckled, bringing her face closer to his. "Me?" he questioned near her lips, his head slanted cutely to one side.

"Oh definitely." Her eyes were locked on his mouth, a point that he noted with no small amount of smug satisfaction.

"They say the best way to conquer fear is through repeated exposure."

"The hell makes you think there's going to be a chance for a repeat?"

"Well," he mused, "there's the fact that I'm going to kiss you as soon as I finish this sentence." And he did just that.

In the early morning everything felt so different compared to the secrecy of the dark. The gentle glow of the fire and the sharp contrast of light and shadow from last night were non-existent now. Instead, there was an ethereal haze that settled over them both as they lost themselves to the sensation.

As they parted he noted that he liked this backdrop just as much as the night before; the soft light made the girl in his lap seem more unsure, timider. Seeing a side of her without her usual acerbic front, he had to admit that he liked it.

She was biting her lip again. "This is a horrible idea."

He leaned forward to capture her abused lip between his teeth, tugging gently until she released it with a soft moan that did all sorts of things to his insides. "Absolutely horrible," he agreed, moving away to nuzzle at her neck. She shivered delightfully in his arms.

"I'm going to leave in a year, we'd just be wasting both our time."

"Completely."

"You don't even know me that well."

"True, very true."

"Damn it Sirius, be, ah!" He smirked into the skin of her neck where he had just nibbled a lovely little bite mark.

"Be serious!" she continued, tugging at his hair in an attempt to detach him from her flesh.

"I've never been more _Sirius_ in my entire life, darling."

His cheek earned him a slap on the shoulder, but he caught her hand before it could land another hit, bringing it up to his mouth so that he could pepper her palm in featherlight kisses.

"...Oh, screw it."

He nearly crowed in triumph when she yanked her hand away only to grab at his face for once, bringing her lips down on his own in a snog that easily showcased both her annoyance and her lust. He replied enthusiastically, and soon they were floating again in a pool of feeling and taste and sound. He snuck his hands down to her gently flared hips, continuing until he was finally able to feel just how smooth her thighs really were. He was thrilled to bits with his discovery.

Sirius wasn't exactly sure how much farther they were going to go, seeing as his Waterlily was still a bit wary of his intentions, but he would never know the answer to that question because at the exact moment that his hand had been sliding up the back of her shirt there was a commotion behind them.

"Merlin's balls Padfoot, MY EYES!"

Sirius jolted back from Sarah, who squeaked and was now attempting to hide behind his torso. Swiveling his head, he spied James dramatically rolling on the floor, screaming about his ' _poor, virgin eyes_.' Remus and Peter were standing above their downed Marauder brethren. Peter was making a valiant effort pretending to be a fire crab, his face burning behind both hands. Remus was blushing slightly too but he was sure able to spear Sirius with a judgemental stare.

"So, I take it you two worked out your issues?" Remus asked sardonically. Sirius let a huge grin split his face as he waved enthusiastically at his friends.

"Moony! Have you met my girlfriend? I don't think you have! Say hi!"

"I hate you so much," his darling Waterlily hissed.

"She loves me a lot!"

"I wanna break up."

"We're going to be together forever!" he squealed, moving to smush his cheek against her and rubbing up and down like a cat. She pushed him away so hard he ended up with his back on the floor.

" _Oomph_! Aww, that hurt!"

"Good."

"Sweet Godric, are they done yet? I don't think I can take any more of this," James groaned in disgust from his place on the floor.

Sirius turned his head. "Don't be jealous that I got my flower first, Prongs" he teased. James crawled over to slap him.

"Oww!"

"Traitor to my cause!"

"Someone please stop them..."

"Too late Waterbrooke, that one's your problem now."

"I want a refund."

Sirius tussled happily with James, not taking offense at her words. He could hear it now, the hint of affection that lay hidden under her harsh words.

He wouldn't have it any other way.


	32. Chapter 32 - Gentle Thunderbird Awakens

CHAPTER 32 - The Gentle Thunderbird Awakens

* * *

" _And Odo the hero, they bore him back home_

 _To the place that he'd known as a lad…"_

Jenelle heard a quiet voice singing an unfamiliar tune. Her eyes felt swollen and heavy and her head was throbbing at her temples. For that matter, her whole body felt like a giant stone had just been lifted off her, but the remaining sensation was not that of relief but the immediate splintering of all her bones at once.

" _...They laid him to rest with his hat inside out_

 _And his wand snapped in two, which was sad."_

"You...should probably not... sing about death in a medical ward," Jenelle managed to grumble at the mysterious voice. She heard a shrill yelp and wanted to chuckle but she was currently trying to open her eyes and could only do one thing at a time.

"You-you're awake! I-I'll go get Madam Pomfrey!" the voice spattered.

"No!" Jenelle coughed, "don't please. Give me a moment to acclimate." She managed to flutter her eyes open to the oppressive afternoon light that was streaming from the tall window behind her cot. She recognized the starchy white sheets under her arms and the iron bed frame with paint cracking at the ends. The ceiling was impossibly tall and enchanted to look like the afternoon sky above, with adorable fluffy clouds the size of cars floating aimlessly from one end of the elongated room to the other.

Peeling her eyes from the ceiling she finally saw the owner of the voice she had been hearing. Peter Pettigrew was standing near the foot of her bed with a mop in hand. A brush was washing the floor unassisted, sloshing around in a metal bucket and then scrubbing the floor in neat little circles.

"Oh, Peter! I have to say, you were not who I expected to see. You have a lovely singing voice."

Peter turned a bright red on his freckled cheeks.

Jenelle pulled her elbows up underneath her but her palms slipped uselessly back down onto the bed. She was too weak to move much it seemed. "A hand, Peter?" she sighed defeated.

"Oh, right! Y-yes of course!" Peter almost slipped on the wet floor as he hurried over to Jenelle's side. If Jenelle was expecting the shy and perpetually quiet Peter to lack a caretakers touch she was mistaken. The plump teen was quick and efficient, grabbing two pillows from the next bed and sliding his arm under her back without a hint of embarrassment. He helped her to sit up while he slid the fluffy white pillows under her back and arranged them, then slowly eased her back down so that she was at an angle more comfortable for entertaining conversation.

He even pulled the sheet down and folded it at her lap and poured her a glass of cool water from a pitcher on the bedside table.

Jenelle was watching him in a foggy daze. "How'd you get so good at this Peter?"

The boy seemed to be jogged from a reverie, his eyes blinking a few times before responding. "Oh, well. I like healing magic, always have. Madame Pomfrey teaches me things and in return I help her out when I can." He chuckled bashfully and slouched his shoulders as he went back to the mop that was still standing upright on the floor.

"Maybe you found your calling," Jenelle mused, taking a few careful sips of the cool water.

"Heh, that'd be a right laugh. The others would think I'm a pansy." He gave a sad little snort.

"The boys don't know you do this?" Jenelle asked.

"Of course not! But, it's not that I've intentionally kept it from them. They've never asked where I disappear to so I suppose I just thought…" he trailed off and continued his absentminded mopping.

Jenelle tapped her nails on the glass and considered Peter for a moment. She wondered how many people actually _did_ consider Peter. He wasn't someone that turned heads with his charisma like James or his looks like Sirius. Even Remus had a retro-vintage glamor to him; but little Peter, little nondescript, professional wallflower Peter was always flying below the radar. Jenelle chided herself for the way even she had treated the fourth leg of the infamous Marauders.

"You wouldn't happen to know any healing spells for a headache would you Peter?" Jenelle asked as sweetly as she could.

Peter lit up at the request and nodded his willingness to help. With the same absolute confidence as before he came to her side and pulled his wand from his pocket. He rolled the wand in his fingers as he mumbled an incantation under his breath that Jenelle had never heard. She closed her eyes in concentration and slowly the pressure pulsating in her temples began to ease. She could sense the foggy mess in her mind begin to clear and a string of images took its place.

" _...-right, you're not dying…"_

" _I'm not leaving you..."_

" _EXPECTO PATRO-!"_

The flashes were intense and vivid, like the first moments waking from a dream. Jenelle's hand flew to her eyes and her mouth slacked as she took a few calming breaths.

"Montagnard? Did the spell not work? I could have sworn I did it right…" Peter's brow furrowed in confusion.

"No, no Peter. You did great, I feel so much better, thank you." Jenelle forced a grin his way.

"You're remembering last night aren't you?" he said cautiously.

"You're very perceptive. Was it bad?" Jenelle almost dreaded asking. She looked to Peter for some indication and when he didn't respond she effectively got her answer.

"Crap. It was bad."

"Well, Remus carried you in and apparently there were others as well, including the Headmaster himself! I heard he even used his patronus!" Peter looked positively excited now that he was regaling her with the third-party account of Jenelle's traumatic evening.

"A patronus? What is the headmaster's patronus?" Jenelle asked skeptically.

"It was a phoenix I think. That's what Remus said," Peter recalled, his eyes wandering to the enchanted ceiling.

 _Well, that's good to know, for future reference._

"I...remember dancing with Remus in the greenhouse," Jenelle struggled to piece everything together. "Was that real? It seemed too beautiful to be real." Her thoughts calmed as she saw sparkling blue flowers and a pair of handsome brown eyes in her mind.

"Ah, well, the greenhouse is rather torn up you see…" Peter said carefully.

 _Well, shit._

"That would be why I keep hearing explosions in my mind," Jenelle stirred uncomfortably.

"B-but I'm happy to hear you saw the _pixpetals_! I told Remus it would be the perfect place for a snog-" Peter's hands flew up to his mouth once he realized he had let his friend's secret slip.

 _Not telling this one any pertinent information, that's for sure._

"They were absolutely wonderful Peter, thank you for your part in it. Besides the embarrassing meltdown of epic proportions, it was a truly magical evening," Jenelle smiled despite herself.

Peter sat with his wand in his lap on the bed next to hers. He fidgeted uneasily and looked eager to speak. "I've studied a lot of magical ailments, but I've never heard of anything like what Remus described," he said simply.

Jenelle looked at him thoughtfully and decided to impart what little special treatment she could on the poor boy. Without giving too much away, of course.

"It's a curse," she said quietly, not for fear of being overheard, but rather the strength that the word carried left her feeling wary. She hadn't had too much practice telling people about it. Most of the people that _did_ know only knew because they could do something about it, like Sarah.

Apparently still full of surprises, Peter nodded his head in understanding and refrained from speaking. His brow was bent in concentration as he listened patiently to whatever Jenelle felt like sharing.

"So...yea. I've had it for years. Since I was about eleven years old. The first time this happened my parents tried to fight it off and it almost destroyed our home." She paused and took a deep breath. Her chest was sore but the act of breathing itself was calming.

"It's something that every first born daughter in my family has to deal with. At least, until they have their own daughter and it passes on to them. It's been passed down for so many generations now that we aren't even sure where it comes from. I never know when it's going to show up. As far as I can tell it's unpredictable. I've tried fighting it off myself, but it seizes me up with fear and the pain is-"

She twisted the sheets around her hips and fought back a few stubborn tears.

"It's powerful, that's for sure," Peter commented solemnly. "To need such a specific class of patronus to fight it off, I've never heard of such a thing. Remus said he couldn't make a scratch."

Jenelle's ears perked up. "Remus tried to fight it off?"

Peter looked taken aback. "Of course he did! He said he saw you in so much pain and that the... _thing_ was able to deflect the spells he cast. I think he was pretty upset that Sarah was the one that got to save you, to be honest."

Jenelle felt her cheeks turn hot for a fleeting moment and she wanted to smile, but before she could she was hit with a tremendous wave of sadness.

"Sarah's Runespoor is one of the only patronuses I've seen that is powerful enough to fight it off. It was a freak accident the first time she summoned it; like destiny. Sometimes I wonder if we were always meant to be in each others lives…"

She trailed off, suddenly dying to see her best friend. The tears returned to her eyes and she felt a burning in the back of her throat.

 _I want Sarah here. I want to see my best friend._

Without needing any sort of direction, Peter stood up and peeled a few tissues from a box on the nightstand. Handing them to Jenelle he smiled gently and flicked his wand. The charmed cleaning tools suddenly whisked themselves away to a supply closet at the far end of the room.

"I'll go get her. You just stay here and rest," he added bashfully.

"Thank you, Peter," Jenelle coughed faintly through her stifled sobs.

"Mm," Peter nodded. Then he was waddling out of the ward and Jenelle was left in the big empty space with only the muffled voices of students practicing Quidditch outside to ease her troubled mind. She felt the cries deep within her, rising like bubbles fighting for the surface. She rested her head back and squeezed her eyes tightly shut against the tears.

 _You just have to wait for Sarah to get here. Sarah will get here and everything will be alright._

The mantra had gotten her through every attack, every troubling moment she had had since they met.

* * *

"Hey, Jen. How you doing?" Sarah cooed, sitting at the edge of her bed. She was always so careful and soft spoken after Jenelle had woken from an attack.

"I'm alright," she feigned.

Sarah nodded expressionless and patted Jenelle's arm. "I'd really hoped we were finished with all that. I mean, it's been so long since the last time...but I shouldn't have let my guard down."

Jenelle looked at Sarah and felt a twinge of guilt. It shouldn't have been Sarah that had to ready herself, had to be prepared for a calamity that she could only abate, never defeat. That should be Jenelle's burden to bear.

 _That's why it's a curse_ , she thought hopelessly. _It's meant to cripple me. Yet, it falls heaviest on those I care about..._

"Thank you, Sarah," was all she managed to respond.

"Yeah, yeah, none of that. At least it gave me a good reason to let out my Runespoor. It's been a while." She leaned down to make eye contact with Jenelle. "I'm also pretty sure I scared the crap out of Remus. Sorry about that, but also, can't say I'm not sorta proud of myself." She smiled, a real genuine and heartfelt smile reserved for times that Jenelle needed the most cheering up.

"Thank you," was still all Jenelle could say.

Sarah sighed, her shoulder shrugging lightly. Then she leaned over like she was going to rest her head on Jenelle's arm, but instead opened her mouth and laid her teeth to Jenelle's skin.

"AOHM!" she gargled adorably, pretending to bite.

Jenelle giggled, the laugh forcing it's way out of her nose. It was followed by a smile and just like that Sarah had managed to break the second curse of melancholy, that was seemingly just as difficult to fight off as Jenelle's blackened, doppelganger self.

"So," Jenelle asked, her giggle fit easing, "what happened to you after the party? Besides exposing your overqualification for DADA to Dumbledore."

Sarah gulped and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Woooooah, what happened?" Jenelle inquired, now switching roles and trying to force eye contact with her suddenly bashful friend.

"Well, I mean, a lot if you think about it. I mean, with the thing with Malfoy and Slughorn at dinner, _that_ was just way too close to our cover being blown. So I spent some time in Dumbledore's office doing some clean up and that's when Remus burst in like a wild bronco and told me about you."

"Isolt above, that must have really freaked him out," Jenelle sighed sadly. Sarah shrugged and patted her arm.

"He handled it like a champ, he really did. I was almost impressed with how, eh, _passionate_ he was about protecting you," Sarah smirked as she spoke.

Jenelle laughed weakly along with her, trying to hide how guilty she felt about the whole thing. "So," she added, trying to change the course of conversation, "anything else happen while I was out? Has Malfoy cornered and berated you about being his waifu again?"

The dark haired girl scoffed. "He tries anything and I'll take him out at the kneecaps."

"I don't doubt it. You've never needed a tall, dark and handsome bodyguard to scare suitors away, you manage just fine on your own." Jenelle chuckled but halted suddenly when she saw a peculiar look cross Sarah's face.

"Woah, I'm sorry love. I didn't mean you _scare_ men away I just meant you can take care of yourself," Jenelle said apologetically.

"Yeah yeah. I know, it's just..."

"Yeah?"

There was a pattering of footsteps and Sarah stood in a flash, turning toward the door. The Marauder boys were filing in. Jenelle heard Madam Pomfrey giving them strict instructions at the door to make their visit quick and not to "cause extraneous stress" to her patient. Jenelle saw Remus toward the back of the group and felt her cheeks growing warm again.

Sarah on the other hand looked like she wanted to either hit something or vomit.

"Oi, Monty! You're up! We really have to stop meeting like this, Ilvermorny ladies," James greeted cheerfully. Jenelle couldn't tell if he was being purposefully obtuse or if he was just always so blasé about things.

"I agree. Madam said I should be able to return to my room in a couple of days to finish recovering," Jenelle explained.

"That's a relief," Sirius said and truly sounded like he meant it. He turned to Sarah and smiled.

 _Huh? That wasn't a normal smile. That was a knowing smile. And what?! Did Sarah's cheeks turn red?_

"Sarah?"

"...Ah,yep?"

"Did I… miss something?"

Everyone stood in awkward silence for a moment. Jenelle placed her arms on either side of the bed, watching the strange scenario with interest. She looked to James, Peter, and Remus but they were all looking off in different directions like a boy band CD jacket.

"Ok, someone needs to fill me in. Right now."

Sarah turned, her hands wringing terribly at her waist. That didn't do anything to calm Jenelle's nerves.

"OK SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS ARE FREAKING ME OUT."

"Oh blimey, it's nothing that shocking Monty," Sirius laughed uncomfortably and stepped over to Sarah's side and placed his arm over her shoulder.

 _Uh oh. Unwanted touching. He's gonna get punched._

But there was nothing. Sarah just stood there looking at Jenelle like she expected to get scolded for dropping the blonde's wand in the toilet. No recoil. No rabbit punches. Not even an eye roll.

 _Something is terribly, terribly wrong._

"Uhm, right. So...this is going to shock you," Sarah started with trepidation.

"Too late."

"Heh, yeah. I, uhm-"

"What Waterlily is trying, unsuccessfully, to tell you is that we are an item now!" Sirius beamed and puffed out his chest. Sarah slapped her palm against her forehead and sighed heavily.

"Tact, Black. It rhymes. Please remember to use it," she grumbled.

"YOU'RE WHAT?!"

Sarah jolted forward, throwing Sirius's hand off with brutal force that resulted in his arm smacking against the metal post of the divider curtain. He yelped and grimaced, rubbing the spot and showing off his injury to James.

"See how she tortures me? This is _spousal_ abuse!"

"YOU'RE MARRIED?!"

"What? _No!_ Black, shutup. Jen, listen, it's not what it looks like."

"Really, Sarah? 'Cause it _looks_ like you were busy shacking up while I was dying in here."

"That's a bit dramatic," Peter said automatically. Jenelle glared at him and he cowered behind Remus.

"I know, I know it looks bad. But I promise, _I promise_ , that wasn't what happened. So, you know that trying to explain anything to this band of blockheads is nigh on impossible, much less that I was _not_ in the right state of mind to be thinking about _feelings_ and _relationships_..." she said the words like they were foreign to her tongue, which to be fair, did calm Jenelle down a bit.

"But?" Jenelle led, trying to keep her cool, if anything because she was starting to feel lightheaded.

"But...I kinda, well, oh come _on_ Jen! The dude's persistent!" She shot a glare at the tall, dark haired boy and he merely smiled and twiddled his fingers at her in greeting. "So I guess you could say that I was coaxed into it and...yeah."

She sighed and looked at the ground. "I really wish this was a conversation we were having in private."

"Shall I usher everyone out, dearest?" Sirius offered cutely.

"SHUT UP!" Both Jenelle and Sarah shouted in unison. All four boys flinched and backed up a few steps.

"Ahem!" Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat loudly.

Jenelle took a deep breath, disregarding the bruising pain in her chest, then released it slowly through her pursed lips and looked up at Sarah. The girl was standing next to her bed with her hands in fists at her side and her face obscured by her wavy head of course, dark hair. Jenelle reached out and gently grasped her friend's forearm and pulled her to the bed, sitting her down close enough that she could lean in a whisper.

"Are you alright?" Jenelle asked cautiously.

A pause. "I...I think so."

"And this wasn't something forced on you?"

She sighed heavily. "Well, yeah sort of. But I could have said no."

"And you didn't."

"I didn't."

Jenelle nodded to herself and quickly assessed the situation in her mind. Her best friend had willingly gone along with entering into a singularly confusing relationship with the school flirt and had done so in the short time since they had last saw each other.

Actually, the whole thing made Jenelle feel sad. She hadn't been there to help Sarah sort through what she was sure had been a slew of very complicated and unexplored emotions. Her petite little friend had traversed the unfamiliar territory, seemingly alone, and had come to a conclusion that Jenelle would have never imagined possible.

Then again, when she thought about it, she was insanely proud of her. It may seem like a little thing, but it was no small feat for Sarah to trust someone enough to open up like that. Sirius must really have some sort of idiotic persistence and gall.

 _Or maybe, just maybe, he actually has feelings for her._

Sarah was sitting perfectly still, with the Marauders all craning their heads from the foot of the bed to see what was happening.

"Are you happy?" Jenelle asked with a light hearted sigh.

Sarah looked up and Jenelle saw the sparkle in her eye. Not a smile, but a sparkle that spoke with more clarity than any words.

"Right. Well then." Jenelle lifted her tired arms and wrapped them around her friend's shoulders. She knew Sarah wouldn't hug her back, not in front of everyone, but she felt the heavy head lay on her shoulder and knew her actions were justified. She clung on for a moment more and patted the girl's head lightly.

"Congratulations, lady," Jenelle said with a smile. Then looked up to Sirius over Sarah's shoulder and nodded stiffly. "And to you too, I suppose."

Sirius ran his hand through his wild tangle of inky black hair. "To be honest, I feel bloody awful about the timing too. Sorry Monty." He smiled ruefully and Jenelle felt her apprehensions lessen slightly.

"We'll talk more about it later," Jenelle whispered into Sarah's ear. She felt the girl nod against her collarbone and released her grip. Sarah leaned back and the barest flash of a smile crossed her face. That was all the reassurance Jenelle needed. She leaned back against the pillows and gasped as a shooting pain jolted up her abdomen and back. Her muscles were still so sore from the spasms of her attack.

"Jen! Are you alright?" Sarah asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," she huffed quietly. The pain was already subsiding as long as she didn't make any fast movements. She patted Sarah's arm in assurance and the girl pursed her lips, looking unconvinced.

"Would you guys mind if I talked to Jenelle for a moment? Waterbrooke?" Remus stepped forward and asked seriously, looking to Sarah for approval.

"It's up to Jenelle," she replied without turning away from her friend.

"It's alright, Sarah. I'll be fine for a bit. I'm just going to sleep after this. But you could do me a huge favor and see if they left any assignments for me in the Slytherin common room." She gave the cutest, most pleading face she could muster.

"I'll escort you!" Sirius bellowed.

"We all will!" James added excitedly. Jenelle knew he was likely hoping for a row with his _favorite_ people, Severus or Lucius.

"No." Sarah said bluntly, rising from the bed and walking past the boys.

"Aw, come on!" Sirius pleaded.

"You need protection from the Snakes. No offense, Monty!" James added.

"None taken," Jenelle smiled.

"I said no!"

"Shhhhh!" Madam Pomfrey scolded from her little desk by the door.

"It's decided, let's leave these lovebirds alone for a bit," Sirius said cheerfully, grabbing at Sarah's sleeve and getting dragged along behind by the heavy and purposeful footsteps of his new girlfriend. Sarah pulled her arm away, more than once, before giving in and slumping her shoulders as they stumbled noisily from the room.

Remus was left standing alone. Once he seemed sure that everyone was far enough away that even an eavesdropping charm wouldn't reach them he stepped over to her bed. Jenelle fussed with her hair and nightgown as he sat down to face her. Remus had his fists balled on the tops of his knees and his champagne hair was falling in his face.

Jenelle's mind was still swimming with all the new information she had acquiesced in the past few minutes. She looked at the boy sitting with her and a familiar calm came over her, allowing all other worries to fade into background noise.

But she didn't know what to do in this scenario. In her mind, the last memory with Remus was his dark, starlit face as it leaned in towards her with lips slightly parted…

She coughed and caught his attention, then bravely reached out to move a stray strand of his hair out of his face, behind his ear. He looked like he was stricken at her touch, an expression of pain crossing his face.

"What's wrong?" Jenelle asked worriedly.

"I buggered it up. The whole evening, I'm so sorry," he choked out.

"No no no!" Jenelle sat up and reached for his fist, pulling it towards her. "You did nothing wrong! Remus, I had such a wonderful time. No one has ever done something like that for me before. It was so incredibly thoughtful of you. Really."

"I couldn't do anything for you when everything fell apart," he insisted.

"You did exactly what I needed done. You listened to me and you didn't let your pride get in the way. That means more than any white knight chivalry."

Remus continued to look unconvinced. He was scowling to himself, refusing to look her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, Remus," Jenelle sputtered, unsure of what to say so falling back to what she always did; apologizing. "I'm sorry that your beautiful surprise was ruined by my curse."

Remus turned at that and look bewildered in the early evening light.

"You're cursed?" he asked, shaken.

"Well, yeah. That's what that thing was. That's why it looked like me and why you couldn't do anything to stop it, but I heard you tried to and that's just-" She sighed and looked up at the ceiling, letting her confessional tears free fall down the side of her face.

 _Sweet William, I'm so sick and tired of crying._

Then she felt cool, dry hands rough with callouses streak through the tears on her cheeks. She brought her head down and saw Remus was holding her face in his hands and looking at her with a curious grin.

"What are you smiling for?" Jenelle asked pitifully.

"Because we are so much more alike than I had thought," he chuckled, his own eyes welling with unshed tears. "And I feel so much more prepared to handle it, this. But mostly because I'm so bloody relieved that you're alright."

Before Jenelle could allow a smile to break across her face she felt warm, soft lips pressing against hers. She inhaled deeply in surprise and her head was filled with the soft amber scent of the golden-haired boy. Her eyes fluttered shut and she didn't dare move, for fear of the moment ending before she was ready.

"AHEM." Came Madam Pomfrey's voice resounding across the room.

Jenelle felt Remus pull away from her, his lips leaving a lingering tingle on hers. She slowly opened her eyes and gazed sleepily into his face. He was smiling bashfully, dropping his hands to hers and squeezing them briefly in her lap.

"I just felt we needed to finish what we started last night," he whispered.

"Oh...yeah, right," Jenelle said, still feeling lightheaded.

"I'll come see you later on, I promise," he explained, getting up from the bed and releasing her hands. Then he turned and Jenelle once again was left watching someone walk away. She passed a gaze over Madam Pomfrey who was giving her a very judgemental look, which caused her to flash beet red and scoot down under the sheets to smile as uncontrollably as she needed to for the foreseeable future.


	33. Chapter 33 - Lions and Cobras

CHAPTER 33- Lions and Cobras

* * *

James and Peter had veered off to head towards the Gryffindor Tower, leaving only Sarah and Sirius to head to the Slytherin dorms for Jenelle's assignments.

James had been a little shit, waggling his eyebrows at them while warning not to do anything too ' _raunchy_.' He wasn't nearly so cheeky when Sarah zapped him in the ass as he left with a low-level lightning bolt spell.

 _Serves him right, he'll be smelling of burnt hair for hours_.

Unfortunately, that still left her alone with a disgustingly clingy Black, who was doing his absolute best to embarrass the life out of her. Currently, he was prancing back and forth in front of her, trying to goad her into another kiss, which she was staunchly refusing.

"Why are you following me again?" she asked.

"Aww, come on Waterlily, I thought you liked me now?"

"As much as I like shellfish," she admitted breezily, staring straight ahead of her as they descended further and further down the stairs. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sirius looking perplexed.

"So, what, a lot then?"

Her face deadpanned. "I'm deathly allergic to shellfish."

She couldn't help but giggle as Sirius dramatically mimed being stabbed in the heart, falling against the stone corridor in mock agony. "Ack! Brutal love, absolutely brutal," he cried.

"Don't start with me, Sirius. I'm starting to think you could do with a good brutalizing every now and again."

He sent a playful smolder her way, voice low and sensual, "Ooh, you promise to make it hurt, darling?"

 _Whoo_ , that made her face heat up something fierce but she kept her expression flat. "I'll make you hurt so much you _cry_ if you keep calling me that, Black." She proceeded to leave him slumped against the wall, walking briskly and ignoring his calls to wait as he jumped up.

He overtook her and turned around, walking backward with cocky confidence, though she thought it was more hubris than anything. His arms were behind his head and he was grinning as he looked at her.

"Not a fan of ' _darling'_ are you? Well that's okay, we've already got Waterlily down pat, but how about…'sweetheart'? No? That's quite the look, so I'm going to guess no. How about 'honey'? 'Pumpkin'? Err... ' _doll_?'"

"What are you, a No-Maj gangster from the twenties?" She shook her head, trying not to play along with his game. Instead, she shouldered past him to stop at a nondescript stone wall. "And what's with all the nicknames anyway? Is ' _Sarah_ ' too common for you?"

"Not at all, _sweetpea_ , just thought I'd make a list of all the things you'll let me get away with calling you. This is it then?" Sirius asked, staring at the granite in front of him and looking highly unimpressed.

"Ugh, and according to Jenelle it is."

 _Now, what was the password again?_

"Crap," she said. Sirius raised an eyebrow her way and she felt like an idiot. "I may have forgotten to, ah, get the password from Jenelle before coming here?" she ended with a question, hoping to lessen his judgment.

No dice though, as he barked out a laugh before reaching out to muss her hair. Scowling, she smacked his hand away with her own, batting at the air even when he pulled away.

"Are you serious?" she demanded as she smoothed her hair down.

"Oh I'm always _Sirius_ , Sugar Plum." His face could really only be described as shit-eating.

" _Sugar Plum!?_ I am not food!" she declared, affronted.

"Ah, but I already know you taste just as good!" He leered down at her, leaning forward with the obvious intention of stealing a kiss.

Before she could sock him in the gut the wall before them opened outwards with a low grind. Surprised, she jumped away only to collide her back into Sirius, who steadied her with his hands on her hips, his grip tight over the fabric of her skirt. She tensed, damning herself for forgoing her robe, and shot an accusing look at him from over her shoulder. He met her eyes as innocently as he could, his hands never wavering.

"Move 'em or lose 'em," she hissed.

He winked before stepping back to comply, although along the way… _Did he just run his hands over my ass!?_

That earned him a well-deserved stomp on the toes, and he winced in pain. Rolling her eyes, she focused on the dimly lit hallway that had opened up in front of them, shocked to see who was at the entrance.

"Malfoy, what a surprise!" It really was, and an unpleasant one at that. She could feel the air behind her becoming static with aggression. _Shit Black, don't do anything stupid._

"Sarah please, I insist that you call me Lucius." Although his words were directed at her, Malfoy's eyes never left the space above her head, where she knew Sirius was looming.

"Since when do you let us plebeians use your precious name, Malfoy?" Sirius spat. He was agitated and not bothering to hide it.

Malfoy finally looked to her, his smile promising and suggestive. "Clearly you don't know your housemate as well as you think Black, she is no low-blooded commoner, nor is she a waste of good breeding like _you_."

Sirius lunged forward but Sarah braced herself against him, grunting when he collided with her body. He was unexpectedly strong; must be the Quidditch.

Shoving an elbow into his ribs, she got him to back off far enough to give her some breathing room.

" _Lucius_ ," she emphasized, ignoring a growling Sirius behind her. "So glad to run into you, actually I was wondering if you wouldn't mind taking me to see Professor Slughorn?"

"Slughorn?" echoed Malfoy, looking intrigued. "He is currently visiting the common room, it's true, but it would be considered quite unorthodox to allow a non-Slytherin to view one of our most closely guarded secrets."

"Well then blindfold me and lead on for all I care," she huffed, "I just need to talk to him and maybe pick up a few things." She wasn't sure what the rumors concerning Jenelle were, but she wasn't going to increase them if she could.

Sirius seemed to choke on nothing, staring at her in incredulity. Lucius was mirroring his look, although his gaze swiftly turned more seductive. Sarah didn't notice though, as she was too fed up with the situation and not paying attention to things around her.

"Well, I suppose if you insist," he purred, reaching out to possibly caress her face. He was rebuffed though when his hand was smacked away, courtesy of Sirius, who was staring him down with fury.

"Like bloody hell I'm letting her go alone with _you_ , you slime-eating snake!"

"And if you think _you're_ coming in then you would be mistaken as well, you mewling little cub," Malfoy mocked as he stepped closer to Sarah.

"I like jellyfish!"

Sirius and Malfoy blinked, both taken off guard by the non-sequitur. Sarah just waited mock-patiently between them, hating the feeling of being sandwiched. There was barely an inch between the three of them and she was _not_ comfortable having two boys tower over her.

"Oh, were we _not_ listing some of our favorite animals? My apologies." Her lips were pressed into a hard line and the boys could tell that she was not amused. "Lucius, if I can't go in, then could I convince you to go get him? I'd be grateful."

Malfoy cleared his throat before smiling down at her. "Of course, little Thunderbird, a moment if you please."

Sarah sighed in relief as the stone wall slid shut. Leaning forward to rest her head against the cool stone, she did her best to pretend a furious Sirius Black wasn't burning holes in her skull.

"What, was _that_." He didn't ask so much as he demanded. Letting out a quiet groan, she turned to face him, not in the mood to deal with his shit.

"Look, I need to talk to Slughorn about Jenelle. I can't go in without _you_ apparently, and since you're not allowed inside this was the next best thing." She crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to budge on the issue.

Sirius stalked closer until he was towering a head above her, looking down with anger still simmering under the surface. "Not that" he hissed, his eyes flashing with jealousy, "I was talking about Malfoy, and how _he_ called you ' _little Thunderbird_.'"

Sarah was stunned. How in the world was that a point of importance? "How should I know?" she demanded, "It's not like he's ever called me that before, at least not to my face!"

"Well, it's not like you fought it that hard, did you?! How come _he_ gets his stupid pet name for you but you barely let me call you Waterlily without some kind of dismissal? You're _my_ girlfriend now! I should at least be allowed to call you ' _precious_ '!"

"What are you, Gollum? And when exactly was I supposed to tell him not to call me that? The two seconds it took for him to go inside?"

They were almost nose to nose at this point. Sarah had her hands fisted in Sirius' shirt, using it as leverage to pull him down to her level. Sirius twitched, she had a point. "Well then why is he using your first name!?"

"Because it's my name and I couldn't care less if someone used it?"

"You should! You bloody well should! Why would you even let him!"

"Because people use first names when they talk to each other, _SIRIUS!_ "

"Not here!"

"Well, then people here are idiots!"

" _You're_ the idiot!"

Sirius had his hands braced on either side of her head, his posture menacing. They didn't move, eyes locked and refusing to back down. They only broke apart when the wall behind Sarah moved again, causing her to fall forwards. Sirius caught her with one arm around her back, his other hand circling low at her hip and she squirmed trying to break free.

"Hands off if you want to keep breathing with both your lungs, Sirius," she demanded into his chest. She felt his grip tighten around her for an instant before she was quickly released, and she turned to the still slowly-opening door with a forced smile.

* * *

Lucius was extremely curious as to what happened in the few moments that he had been gone fetching his Head of House. From the strain in Sarah's smile and the pathetic death glare that Black was attempting, it must have been interesting.

"Slughorn sends his apologies, but he was in the middle of mediating a dispute and could not make it," he said casually. "Nevertheless, he seemed to know why you were here, and sent me to relay his message that you have nothing to worry about."

 _And what exactly did that mean?_ he wondered, watching closely as his little Thunderbird winced in exasperation. She really should be careful with her expressions, it wouldn't do to encourage early wrinkles. Although that being said, she _was_ of Asian descent, and those from the Orient were predisposed to a stunning lack of physical signs of aging. Even Narcissa, for all her beauty and youth, was starting to show the barest hints of wrinkles with the amount of frowning she did.

"A waste of time, huh," she sighed to herself, before looking at him with strained gratefulness. "Either way, thank you for asking."

He swept forward to take her hand in his own and placed a single kiss on its back while Black provided a symphony of churlish muttering behind them. "My pleasure Sarah, _do_ let me know if there is any way I could assist you in the future." Her hand was quite small and adorable, and although her fingers were not as finely elegant as Narcissa, nor her nails as well kept, her skin was deliciously soft where his lips had touched.

She seemed flustered, though no blush appeared on her cheeks. "Ummm, thank you?" she finally murmured, staring into his eyes in bewilderment. Clearly, she had been overcome with his allure, a common occurrence in women, he could attest.

It seemed that this was Black's limit, for with an impatient whine he broke their connection by pulling at the woman's arm. Lucius sent an unimpressed look at the obviously envious Gryffindor but did not comment.

"Until next time, little Thunderbird," he bid farewell, watching as Black impatiently dragged her away from him. Sarah stumbled, her shorter limbs struggling to keep up with Black's brutish pace, the uncultured imbecile.

Sweeping away, he walked back towards his common room as the entryway closed behind him. When he reached his bedroom, he took a moment to compose himself. When he felt a bit more centered, he turned his head to consider the unsent letter lying on his personal writing desk.

He had spent a considerable amount of time pondering over how to word his message before putting quill to parchment, for it was exceedingly important that it be as perfect as possible. He had the thing memorized by heart, but he reviewed it one last time as he contemplating what he was about to, and what potential consequences awaited him.

He thought about gorgeous Narcissa with her cascades hair and ice-blue eyes. Sweet Narcissa with her perfect pedigree. Deceptively intelligent Narcissa with her razor-sharp wit and cheerful persona.

Narcissa, whom he had known all his life. Narcissa, whom he had known he was to be engaged to since he was six.

His impending fiancé Narcissa, whom he had grown bored of in recent days.

He then turned his thoughts to Sarah. Sarah, with her fierce protectiveness of those she claimed as her own, a protectiveness that could quickly turn brutal and cruel if need be. Little Sarah, with her exotic tiger eyes flashing amber when she challenged him. Sarah, with her _powerful_ magic, as attested in their DADA classes. Sarah, with all her various secret connections and influence, just waiting to be harnessed. Sarah, whom he had only known for a short time, but wanted to know more of.

The visiting Ilvermorny student who would possibly be gone in a year, _his little Thunderbird,_ soon to fly away.

Lucius took his parchment in hand and headed to the owlery.

He had a letter to send.


	34. Chapter 34 - Worthwhile Magic

CHAPTER 34 - Worthwhile Magic

* * *

Sitting in the infirmary was incredibly dull. Jenelle had started to feel like herself again by the next day but Madam Pomfrey said she had strict orders from Dumbledore to keep her there until further notice.

Jenelle knew that she would just be resting more, regardless of where she lay her head, so she didn't understand why that couldn't be from the comfort of her own bed. She was certain there was a mound of homework to do. Her disappearance wasn't going to go unnoticed and falling behind was only going to make her stand out more.

Madam Pomfrey had left to check on how Professor Sprout was handling her shock from the ordeal and to pick up a few things from the renovated greenhouse. According to Sarah, the Headmaster had said the room was well overdue for some changes so there was no need to feel badly about the mess.

But of course Jenelle felt awful.

She sighed and twiddled her fingers, practicing her wandless magic. She was levitating a few cotton balls in the air above the blanket on the bed. The little puffs danced here and there, weaving in and out of each other. Then she splayed out her fingers and the balls were untangled and melting together to form one big clump. She closed her fist and gently kneaded her fingers until the ball took the shape of a little white moth and fluttered around the room.

She remembered making such things in her dormitory back at Ilvermorny. The students there were all encouraged to not rely too heavily on their wands, because you never knew when a time may come you're caught off guard without it.

In their sixth year, Sarah and Jenelle would have been studying more advanced forms of wandless magic at Ilvermorny, but Hogwarts didn't emphasize the need for it. Jenelle missed those long nights staying up with Sarah, practicing charms and other defensive spells.

It wasn't nearly as fun alone.

When she heard footsteps coming through the archway she glanced up and saw three Slytherin robes walking towards her. She recognized Narcisa right away. She was always the one bouncing on her toes, forever moving. She had a big grin on her face so she must have been happy about the field trip to visit Jenelle. The boys behind her didn't look as enthusiastic.

Regulus had the same cocky expression inherited from his brother. He scratched his nose pointlessly and stared about the room, feigning interest. When he saw Jenelle he raised a hand in greeting, then promptly stuffed it back in his pocket to maintain his nonchalant manner.

Severus was taking up the rear. His hair was messy in long heavy strands against his face and he walked with his hands at his side. He didn't smile at her but he looked slightly less uncomfortable than normal which Jenelle took as him being in a good mood.

"Nice to see some of my own house colors in here," she said tiredly.

"We'd have come earlier but you're always surrounded by prowling lions" Narcissa said whimsically with a hint of bitterness.

"Ha, I know. They travel in packs. I believe it's called a pride?" Jenelle added, trying to maintain the good atmosphere without throwing Sarah and the others under the bus.

"How are you?" Severus asked.

"Better. Much better, in fact. I wish they would let me go back to Slytherin House already," she groaned.

"Well, you won't have to worry about Potions homework. Slughorn has been particularly understanding and pardoned all of your absences from his class. Though, I can't really speak for the other professors." Narcissa shrugged, taking a seat on the edge of the bed next to Jenelle. It seemed she was the kind to warm up to people rather quickly.

"You must have had quite the ordeal to pull that off." Regulus looked on enviously.

"It was an accident," Jenelle started. She had been practicing her story for hours alone in that big, empty room. "I was in the greenhouse and messed with some touch-me-nots that were pretty explosive. It was my own fault for not paying attention in Herbology I guess."

 _I'm not very good at lying, Sarah will be disappointed._

She laughed uncomfortably and nodded a too few many times to be believable. But it went over well with the group. Luckily, there had been some touch-me-nots in their class recently so the story had some weight. Whether or not they chose to believe that these particular plants had that much explosivity was yet to be seen.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "I heard you were not alone."

"Ohhhh" Regulus sneered at her, "sexy date night in the greenhouse huh?"

Jenelle felt her cheeks burn and laughed uncomfortably. "It didn't turn out too well though, did it Reg?" she teased.

Severus shrugged and placed his hands on the bed frame at the end of the bed. "You'd do well to pay closer attention in class, Montagnard. You could have been seriously injured."

 _What's this? He actually sounds concerned?_

"Heh, you're right of course. I'll be more careful next time. Did you all enjoy the party everyone?" Jenelle asked, trying to swing the conversation in another direction.

"I had a lovely time!" Narcissa said brightly. Then, checking her enthusiasm she blushed a cute peachy tone and messed with the sleeves of her school robes. "I mean, it was very nice, yes."

Jenelle laughed and pressed a soft hand against her shoulder. "I'm sure you enjoyed yourself. You had a handsome date after all." It was probably better to just let Narcissa continue to believe that her darling night with Lucius wasn't interrupted by his wandering eyes and inability to keep his questions and comments to himself.

 _Moll Dyer, I still want to kick him in the teeth._

But she smiled nonchalantly and let darling little Narcissa enjoy the reverie that her present situation allowed. She didn't know anything about the girl beside her good breeding and that she would be the mother of a famous if treacherous wizard. Sarah and her had been steadfastly told by Dumbledore that it was important to not mess with the history books

Regulus reached down and picked up the little cotton moth that had fluttered to the floor beside the bed.

"What's this? Did you make it?" he asked.

"Yes," Jenelle replied. "I was practicing some of my wandless spells. I'm out of practice by Ilvermorny standards."

Regulus looked pretty impressed. "That's wicked. I wish they taught more of that around here." He scoffed at the school as if it was a continuous source of disappointment for him. He was far too young to know better, Jenelle decided.

"It's not that necessary," Severus jumped in. "It's not like you can do anything of value without a wand. We need their strong cores and celestial connection to ourselves to do any worthwhile magic."

"And what sort of magic would that be?" Narcissa said sardonically.

"The kind that bends to your will," Severus answered without missing a beat.

" _Yeesh_ " Jenelle breathed, "your reputation really does precede you." Then realizing that she could have insinuated something she coughed the comment away and played at rubbing her chest in discomfort.

"I'm sorry everyone, I think I should rest a bit more. But thank you for coming to visit me. Really, it means so much." Jenelle smiled sincerely, feeling thankful that her own house had some decent people in it. She knew that they would have incredibly rocky futures and that only darling Narcissa would survive it all, but at this moment they were young and ambitious and curious and kind.

 _Sarah is always telling me I'm too sentimental. Perhaps she's right. But they are so full of promise in this moment, it's hard not to be hopeful._

Regulus gave a quick little salute and offered her the fluffy moth in his hand.

"You keep it," Jenelle smiled. "I'll be back for it soon I hope!"

"We'll be seeing you then! Try not to cause too much of a ruckus in here by yourself!" Narcissa winked and patted Jenelle's arm before springing to her feet and pushing at Regulus who was playfully blocking her path. They teased and roughhoused towards the exit as Severus came around the side of the bed toward Jenelle.

"Thank you, Severus" Jenelle reiterated.

"Mm," he returned, "you know, you can trust us Montagnard. We aren't going to spill your secrets."

Jenelle's eyed went wide as she remembered that the only student with knowledge of her and Sarah's situation was this fowl-faced teenager. She swallowed hard and tried to crack a smile.

"It was an accident, I promise." She felt a pit form in her stomach as she lied.

Severus looked at her steadily. He was many things, but never capricious. He nodded without saying anything further and walked toward the door to join Regulus and Narcissa who had stopped to wait for him.

 _I really do think in another life we could truly be friends,_ Jenelle ruminated sadly.


	35. Chapter 35 - True and Present Dangers

CHAPTER 35 - True and Present Dangers

* * *

Sarah had been surprised when, in the middle of breakfast a few days later, she had been approached by Headmistress McGonagall.

 _Although I guess that's_ Deputy _Headmistress right now. Man Time-Travel, you're screwing with my mind._

"Miss Waterbrooke," the older woman waited patiently while Sarah swallowed the bite of food in her mouth.

"Yes Ma'am?" Sarah answered.

"If you would accompany me, I'd like to speak with you about your assignment from Thursday." Her tone did not make refusing an option, and Sarah was quite worried; she didn't think she did _that_ badly on her essay!

"Uhh, yes Ma'am," she replied hesitantly, getting up from her seat and ignoring the stares of the other students at her table.

McGonagall turned and proceeded out of the Hall, expecting Sarah to follow. They made their way quickly and in silence, Sarah becoming more and more confused with every step. She decided to wait before asking any questions though, and eventually things became much clearer when they arrived in front of the statue that guarded Dumbledore's office.

The gargoyle sprang to the side at McGonagall's commanding (" _Lemon Drops_!") and they proceeded up the winding staircase to the room above.

The door to the Headmaster's office opened to the sight of Dumbledore sitting behind his desk. It seems that he had been waiting for their arrival.

"Ah, there you are Miss Waterbrooke! Minerva, thank you very much, you may leave if you'd like," he said with a smile.

Surprisingly, McGonagall refused. "Actually Albus, I think I'll stay." Her gaze was steady as she stared him down. "After all," she continued "Miss Waterbrooke is one of my House, temporarily or not, and whatever you have to discuss with her would surely be discussed with me at a later date anyhow. "

There seemed to be a bit of tension between the two, and Sarah was loath to break it and have it directed at her. The silence only lasted for a few seconds, but when Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in acceptance, it was like a small cloud of pressure had dissipated.

"So, umm, I'm guessing this is about last Saturday night?" Sarah asked as she took a seat across from Dumbledore's massive desk. Beside her, McGonagall had elected to stand.

"Precisely, my dear," the Headmaster nodded, the atmosphere becoming grave. "In particular, I was hoping you could shed a little more light on the situation, as you're Miss Montagnard's closest friend and our only source of information."

Sarah shifted uncomfortably, as she did not like this at all. "Shouldn't we be waiting for Jenelle to join before we start the interrogation?" she asked, a bit defensive.

McGonagall frowned at her. "Miss Waterbrooke, this is not an interrogation," she scolded, "but Saturday night's events had the potential to harm more than just our greenhouses. We have a duty to the students of Hogwarts to make this place a safe environment where there are no potentially dangerous threats, and that duty extends to you as well."

Sarah felt herself shrink into her chair as her head of house continued her reprimand.

"As a student of Hogwarts, your duty is to your fellow classmates. That is, to make sure you do not endanger them with things that could possibly be preventable."

"It's not dangerous!" Sarah insisted, "At least, not really. It's just, _unsettling_ for people that don't know what it is or how to handle it."

"Which is why we need you to be more forthcoming Miss Waterbrooke." It was Dumbledore's turn to speak, and he was looking at her with weight in his gaze. "That evening was something that I'd rather not have repeated. I would have thought _you'd_ feel the same, seeing as how it places Miss Montagnard in such a precarious position."

Sarah flinched, hating that he had to go and say it. She knew it was true though; if it meant fewer eyes on Jenelle she didn't really have a reason not to share.

 _At least some basic information._

"I'm not sure where to start," she admitted slowly.

"Perhaps an overview of what exactly that apparition was would be a good place to begin," Dumbledore suggested. He appeared a bit lighter in mood, now that she had agreed to talk.

Sarah kinda hated him, right then.

"Right," she muttered, before sighing and crossing her arms. "There's no real good way to say it. Jenelle's family line is cursed." Her admittance caused a gasp of shock from McGonagall but curiously, Dumbledore did nothing but sit back in his chair.

"Hmm, I thought as much," he mused, stroking his beard lightly with one hand. Sarah blinked, before remembering.

"Oh, right, you said something like that the night of, if I remember correctly." Now Sarah was the inquisitive one. "How in the world did you guess?"

The Headmaster smiled ruefully at her. "Alas, I'm afraid it is merely the product of having lived in darker times, Miss Waterbrooke."

Sarah nodded, accepting his reasoning. "According to Jenelle, it's been a part of her family for so long that the current members have completely lost track of its origins."

Sarah would never tell Jenelle this to her face, but the fact that her ancestors had _forgotten_ the name of the entity that cursed them to a life of horror and pain was ridiculously unbelievable. _How the hell do you just forget something like that?_

Putting that old bone to the side for now, Sarah continued to speak. "It only activates if the firstborn is a girl, so maybe it was a jealous hag or something that did it?" Her speculation was only half joking; she was truly hoping that the famous Dumbledore would have an inkling of what had been plaguing her friend for so long.

"Anyway, all I know is that is causes paralyzing fear and pain and that it can be temporarily destroyed, but only by a mythical patronus. A common but exceptionally strong patronus may work too, but not enough to banish it completely."

"Hmm." Dumbledore stared off into the distance. Sarah could practically see a thousand ideas being created and discarded behind his eyes. "Miss Montagnard's true family name is Dubois, correct?"

"...Right. About that, how did you-?"

He chuckled, amused at her hedging. "Perhaps learning to be more careful in the halls would not be remiss. The portraits did say you tried to hide your conversations whenever possible, but there are some things you just can't hide from."

 _Did that sound vaguely ominous and threatening, or was it just her?_

Her Head of House must have noticed too, because the older woman speared the Headmaster with a look. Sarah had no idea how to respond to that, so she simply moved on to her next question.

"Professor," she looked at him earnestly, "I was wondering if you happen to know anything about curses, or if you knew somebody that could hold information about cursed French families. Jenelle said that her family had been cursed around the 16th century if that helps."

Dumbledore looked about ready to deny any knowledge, then paused, a strange look appearing on his face.

"I wonder..." he said slowly to himself.

Sarah felt a flash of disbelief. She hadn't honestly expected him to know anything but figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. Now though, a spark of hope had lit itself inside of her, although she tried not to put too much expectation in it. The odds of him actually knowing something useful were far-fetched at best and horrendous at worst.

"Headmaster?" she tried to get him to voice his thoughts. Unfortunately though, Dumbledore just shook his head.

"I'm sorry my dear, but I don't want to get your hopes up. No no, until I can do some more research it's best for you to forget I said anything." He looked honestly apologetic, and Sarah took some comfort from that, wilting back into her chair from where she had bolted up in excitement.

"No, I completely get it." Her smile was strained but just as honest as his own apology. "If you could do me a favor though, don't mention it to Jenelle for now. I'd rather not get _her_ hopes up chasing what could be a dead end lead."

 _The thought of what false hope would do to her friend...no, she wouldn't allow it._

McGonagall placed a supporting hand on her shoulder, and Sarah looked up gratefully. Across from them, Dumbledore smiled sadly and nodded in acknowledgment.

"Of course, you didn't even have to ask," he assured her.

"Was there anything else professor?" she asked, feeling drained. The conversation had been exhausting enough as it was. She just wanted to get everything else out of the way, finish the rest of her classes, and crash in her bed.

Dumbledore eyed her speculatively, and Sarah could tell there was one more thing he wanted to talk about. Eventually though he shook his head.

"Perhaps another day my dear, you look like you could use a rest. Why don't you take the next class off and go visit Miss Montagnard in the hospital wing? I'll be sure to explain to Professor Slughorn."

It was a generous offer, and Sarah saw no reason to refuse. "I think I will," she agreed as she stood up and stretched slightly. "Thanks, Professor."

She looked to McGonagall, but the woman just shook her head. "There are still things I need to discuss with the Headmaster, you may escort yourself to the Hospital Wing, Miss Waterbrooke."

Taking those words as her dismissal, she gave a short nod of her head towards both of her professors before turning around and leaving.

* * *

As the doorway closed behind her, McGonagall turned to face the Headmaster.

"I'm surprised Albus," her words were hesitant and measuring. "I was sure you were going to interrogate the poor girl about her patronus, hence why I stayed."

Dumbledore didn't acknowledge the question in her statement, having stood from his seat to pace about his office. He stopped in front of Fawkes, the phoenix having sat on his perch quietly while the three had been conversing.

"Albus, I'm sure the girl is no threat, neither of them are," McGonagall insisted. "The idea that Runespoor are connected with dark mages was proven as superstition decades ago, it means nothing. Nothing more than the fact that Miss Waterbrooke is an unusually powerful witch with a rare patronus incarnation."

Dumbledore continued to say nothing, gently stroking the crest feathers of the phoenix in front of him.

"I know the threats that have begun to make themselves known to us are...unsettling. But I am certain these girls have nothing to do with it." McGonagall concluded.

Finally, Dumbledore replied, his words absent-minded. "Oh course, Minerva. You're right, of course."


	36. Chapter 36 - Bittersweet Moonlight

CHAPTER 36 - Bittersweet Moonlight

* * *

Jenelle didn't tell anyone when she had decided to return to her dormitory. She didn't want Sarah to fuss over her, or the boys to be dragging along with their apologies and well wishes.

She particularly didn't want to have Dumbledore eyeing her with those keen, blue eyes, so perceptive and capable of tearing down her carefully masoned walls. What she wanted was a few hours to hide in obscurity, tucked away from the rest of the school behind the heavy, velvet curtains of her bed.

She had explained the gist of her wishes to Madam Pomfrey, who saw fit to take pity on the "poor dear" and allowed her to make her way home in the early hours of the morning when she was sure even the night owls would still be asleep.

The mediwitch had handed her a lighted candle and warned that the light from a _lumos_ spell might wake the dozing portraits. She also pressed a few corked bottles of different tonics and potions into a cloth satchel and reached up on her toes to place it over the tall girl's shoulder.

Jenelle thanked the woman sincerely, reaching out for a hug and clinging for longer than was likely appropriate in British etiquette. But the kind mediwitch merely stood in a fierce grip with her arms around Jenelle's shoulders until Jenelle felt she could be allowed to be released.

She was wearing one of her simple, white nightgowns that Narcissa had been kind enough to bring with her during one of her visits. She carried the wrinkled green mess of her party dress in her bag. It was tear-stained now, with a dusting of broken pottery and singed from the sparks of broken spells of almost a week before.

Jenelle didn't want to have to look at it again. That was normally the case for anything she was wearing on days she had experienced episodes. She wanted, more than anything, to stuff all memories aside and pretend like the whole fiasco had never happened.

As she slipped silently down the darkened halls she found herself pausing to stare out the dirty pane windows, looking down into the outer courtyard of the castle. The moon, having been full and bright in the sky, was now dipping below the horizon with the first light of day. The courtyard was visible in the blue hues of twilight and Jenelle could make out dark shadows cast by naked trees. Everything was as still as death, with not a single gust of wind to make the branches dance above the ground.

Before Jenelle could turn from the glass, slightly fogged from her breath, she saw figures moving into the courtyard. Their movements were easily spotted in the stillness and seemed to be grouped together in a tight knot. Jenelle pressed her free hand to the glass and wiped away the condensation. Her candle was held up beside her, hoping to cast what little light it held on the figures below.

At the sight of her candle, she saw three heads glance up at her. Their features were unclear and their clothes all muted in blue, too dark to discern house colors. She squinted harder, trying to make out any telling characteristics of the mysterious group wandering the castle ground at this odd hour.

They were probably boys, their tall figures and short hair being the telltale signs. They also seemed to be carrying something between them. Arms were wrapped around two of their shoulders and Jenelle saw a gleam of light refracting off the fourth head of flaxen hair….

 _The Marauders?_

Jenelle quickly pulled her candle from the window and backed up a few steps. It took a moment to register what she had just seen. But before too long it was obvious that the boys were returning from a night in the Forbidden Forest with their lycanthrope friend.

Jenelle had tried to ignore any of the signs of her love interest's...condition, but she knew.

 _Of course she knew._

There wasn't a witch or wizard alive in her time who hadn't heard of the Battle of Hogwarts and the heros of the war against Voldemort. One of the many wonderful repercussions of the entire thing had been an awareness and understanding for those afflicted with magical ailments.

But that man she had read about in her textbooks seemed so far removed from the boy she was growing attached to. Remus was, well... _Remus_.

Making a sudden decision, Jenelle turned and started flying down the corridor in the darkness. Her candle fell from it's brass stand and she left it clanking loudly in her wake.

As she descended the stairs down to the grand foyer, the boys were already on their way up another staircase leading to Gryffindor Tower. It was still very dark in the big open space and she didn't want to be caught and blow the cover Madam Pomfrey had been kind enough to get her. So she skidded over to the stone railing and whispered as loudly as she could over the side.

" _Hey!_ "

The boys paused and she saw pale faces turning back to look her way. She was certain they made eye contact with her through the dimly lit hall and watched their movements. She saw the tallest of the four, Sirius it had to be, unfurl Remus' arm from his neck and place it over Peter's. Then the three started back up the stairs, a fair bit slower with Peter struggling to hold up his heavy friend.

Jenelle rounded the end of the banister and tiptoed down the steps as Sirius came across the polished stone floor towards her. The hush was so silent Jenelle could hear each of her steps tapping lightly as she moved.

"What are you doing?" Sirius whispered harshly. There wasn't an ounce of worry in his voice, only exasperation. Jenelle was thrown for a moment and had to swallow and gather her thoughts before she answered.

"I ju- I saw you in the courtyard. I wanted to see what was wrong," she said, leaning to look over Sirius' shoulder as James and Peter carried Remus' dragging feet behind a doorway and out of site.

"Nothing's wrong. We just had one too many Fire Whiskeys out at the Shack," Sirius said, unperturbed.

Jenelle raised an eyebrow. "I don't smell any alcohol on you."

"Yeah well, I was the Sober Sally this time around, wasn't I?" Sirius scowled, refusing to make eye contact with the blonde who stood tall enough to stare him dead in the eye.

Jenelle felt herself growing hot and had to take a breath. The anger was making her head hurt and the run had basically wiped away any energy she had left.

"Alright Sirius, I didn't come here to fight with you." She sighed, pressing a few fingers to her temple. "I just... wanted to know if he's alright. Remus, that is."

Sirius glanced her way at that. "He's fine. He'll sleep it off like he always does."

"Right, I'm sure you take great care of him," Jenelle said drowsily.

The tone must have confused the dark-haired boy because he shifted his stance and placed his hands lazily on his hips. "What's that supposed to mean, Montagnard?"

"Mean? It doesn't mean anything."

"I don't like your tone."

"My _tone_? Sirius, I'm sorry, I'm just now getting out of the infirmary. I'm on my way back to my dormitory where I'm hopefully going to sleep." Jenelle wasn't sure how her worry had turned into an argument with the boy but wasn't looking to make a rift between herself and the guy who was at her best friend's heels for half of the day.

Sirius glanced behind him at the steps where his friends had gone a few moments before. "Listen, Monty, I have to check on my mates. Can we leave it, please? I don't need another detention from McGonagall this term."

"Yeah, sure. I didn't mean to snap at you; you should go." Jenelle looked at him gently and tried to plead her case with her soft expression. "Take care of him, won't you?"

"We got it. You don't have to worry."

Sirius turned to leave but whipped back around. "Could you, maybe, _not_ mention this to Sarah? I don't need to give her a reason to mistrust me, if you know what I mean." He did his best to give what Jenelle was sure was a convincing grin for most girls.

 _Heh, fat chance._

Jenelle smiled and nodded. "Sure thing, Sirius."

"Right. Well, goodnight then," and he was off and up the stairs to the Tower. Jenelle heard his shoes stomping out of earshot as she turned back towards her own common room.

She wasn't sure what she had expected to get from that encounter. Her foggy mind must have gotten the best of her. Sarah wouldn't be happy that she had almost blown their cover by knowing something they shouldn't. But Jenelle could still feel the tingle on her lips where Remus had kissed her and couldn't do anything but act when she saw the boy slumped and being carried away like a wounded soldier off the battlefield.

It was one thing to read about werewolves in a textbook, but a whole other thing to see the anguish and work that went into helping them.

 _Is this how people feel around me? Is that how I affect the people around me when I have episodes?_

And it wouldn't end either. Just like for her fair-haired Remus, it would never end.

* * *

When Jenelle woke up the next day, it was already after lunch. She pulled the pillow out from under her head and placed it over her face, groaning that half the day was gone already. She hated sleeping past eleven. It was a motto ingrained in her by her father who was always up before the sun.

" _Sleep to eleven and you may as well stay in bed, the day is wasted."_

"I guess being shacked up in the infirmary for nearly a week is about the same," she spoke to the darkness above her bed. The canopy around her bed blocked the light from the lanterns and made it impossible to tell the time. She pulled aside the heavy velvet and looked again at the clock on the side table.

"Ugh, there is going to be hell to pay for missing another Magical Creatures class. Poor Sarah is probably ready to stab herself in the face to relieve the congestion in her head," she chuckled slightly at the metaphor, regardless of the dark connotation.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat herself up. Her head was still foggy and unsettled, like sand kicked up under water. She closed her eyes and tried to feel the cold stone floor through her socks. When the dizzy spell wouldn't die she slid forward and sat on the ground beside her bed, laying her head back against the mattress.

She had forgotten how long it took for this uneasy feeling to pass. She was all at once ready to jump at the smallest noise and sleep for a millennia. There wasn't a space in her mind that wasn't swimming with images and sounds and smells.

"Oh! You're here after all!" Jenelle heard a familiar smooth voice call from behind her. Turning her head to look over the bed she saw Narcissa walking towards her, throwing a bag of heavy books on her own bunk and slipping off her heavier Slytherin robe to toss on the back of a nearby chair.

"I am. I got here last night, but everyone was sleeping," Jenelle explained.

"You should have said something! One of us would have come to escort you," the small blonde scolded.

"I appreciate it Cissy, but I think the walk on my own did me good." She smiled and tried to show how appreciative she was of the gesture. Narcissa seemed to shrug it off and came to sit on the floor across from her.

"Oh! The floor is freezing. What are you doing down here?" The girl looked about and picked a small piece of lint off the ground, flicking it away with a frown.

Jenelle sighed and placed her head back on the bed. "I feel better when I'm on the ground. It's like being a shipped docked at port. I'm still floating, but at least I have leverage."

"Hm, can't say I've ever felt like a ship," Narcissa said, clearly not in the mood to think deeply.

 _If she ever really was in that sort of mood_ , Jenelle thought.

"Anyways, how are things here? Did you all miss me?" Jenelle gave a small wink and Narcissa smiled, now back to her frivolous, egoist self.

"You've missed so much! After the party, Lucius escorted me all the way back here and I even got a parting kiss," the girl whispered proudly. She pulled down a piece of her long hair as she spoke and absentmindedly picked away the split ends.

She seemed such a simple soul. She'd never let concerns for the future or worries of the past stop her from enjoying the now. Perhaps this little snowflake of a Slytherin had something to teach her after all?

"That's great, Cissy. I'm happy for you," Jenelle smiled, and she meant it.

"Reg saw us though, and he won't stop being a brat about it, no matter what I say!" she huffed.

"Had you stopped to think he is probably jealous?" Jenelle asked.

"Well, of course he is! He hasn't managed a snog since he entered school and the whole of Slytherin house knows it," Narcissa spoke matter-of-factly.

"I don't know if that's so importan-"

"It's important," she eyed Jenelle warily and the witch shut her mouth and stifled a laugh at the ridiculousness of the conversation.

"Say, did Lucius say anything else about that night? Maybe about the Original Twelve?" Jenelle investigated.

"What? Oh, the Ilvermorny stuff? I don't know. He doesn't talk about that sort of thing with me. We mostly talk about our families and school work," she chittered, getting up and brushing the dust from her skirt. "Although, he did say something about some advantageous networking he was excited to pursue. He's very good at networking, you see. He says it's very important to always be on guard for people who can help you to build your own personal empire. It's inspiring, he's so intelligent."

Jenelle had to force herself not to grab the sheets from her bed and hang herself with them right then and there.

"Right, well I should probably shower and get dressed. I'm going to try heading to a class today. I can't miss Divination again or I'll never catch up on the coursework."

"Huh, Divination. Why do you bother with that drivel? It's all nonsense anyway." Narcissa scoffed as she pressed back her hair into a low ponytail and secured it with a hair tie. Jenelle rolled her eyes quickly before the girl could see and then slowly picked herself up off the floor.

"There's a lot to be learned from Divination. About yourself, if not the future," she said as nonchalant as she could.

"Well, you'll tell me if there's any danger in my future, won't you Monty?" Narcissa winked and walked over the pat Jenelle playfully on the arm.

 _Goodness, if only I could. I would tell you to stay away from that slimeball who will drag you down a dark and tortuous path._

But that was something forbidden. And she wouldn't even if she could.

"Of course, Cissy," was all she said.

The girl giggled and bent down to open the large cherry truck at the end of her bed. Jenelle turned back to her own dresser and started pulling out her shower things. When she had her towels and cleansers in hand she looked over at Narcissa's bed and the beautiful silver gown that lay over the quilted comforter.

"Wow, Cissy! That's beautiful. What's the occasion?" Jenelle asked amazed. She walked over to look more carefully at the sequined fabric.

Narcissa looked her way and gave a sarcastic snort. "You're joking, right? It's for the Harvest Ball you dippy!" She ran her hands over the gown and smiled to herself.

"The what?"

"Don't tell me, you didn't know about the Ball?" Narcissa looked taken aback, hand placed gently on her breast and lips slightly parted.

"Uh, I don't suppose I do. Is it like a dance?" Jenelle could only think of the occasional nights that Ilvermorny upperclassmen could throw their own parties and spend the whole night dancing, gorging on unhealthy snacks and spiked punch. Or the occasional community contra dance hosted by the faculty and staff for local magic folk.

"It's a _ball_ , of course there's dancing! The Harvest Ball is the best event of the year! A far cry from a Slug Club Party or an evening at the Three Broomsticks," the fiery girl said poshly.

"All the upperclassmen get to attend and it's the _prime_ opportunity to scope out the sort of advantageous networking Lucius was talking about!"

"Oh, so no invitation required? Can anyone go?"

Narcissa rolled her eyes, just a bit. "Well yes, I'd say that about the only downfall is that any old witch or wizard can throw a smock on and attend. But the best of us, and I do mean us Slytherins, will be dressed to impress. Preening our feathers and casting our nets I guess you'd say. Though families like mine and the Malfoys are of a different caliber. That's why my arrangement with Lucius was set up by our fathers."

"Wow, you all take it very seriously," Jenelle mused, starting to see where this Ball may be problematic. "So I'm guessing we have to be accompanied again?"

"That's correct. And none of this, inter-house mingling. I won't have it! This is an evening for house pride!" Narcissa gently lifted her silvery gown and waved it about in front of Jenelle's eyes, dazzling her and making her head pound a bit.

"Right, no lion dates." Jenelle tried her best not to look as disappointed as she felt. She remembered seeing Remus come skipping down the stairs two at a time at the sight of her before the Slug Party and had a little pity party for the moment that wouldn't be recreated.

"Don't look like that, we'll find you a proper date. A real pure blooded gentleman. And a dress! You'll be needing a fine gown fit for the event," Narcissa clapped her hands together happily and took stock of Jenelle's body like she was a pumpkin at the state fair. Jenelle recoiled and covered herself with her hands.

"What's wrong with the dress I wore to the other party?" she asked, knowing full well that the green smock was torn and dirtied beyond repair.

"No no no, this needs to be dazzling. And you have such a body! You must show it off! How else will you attract suitors?"

"I feel like I've just fallen into a Jane Austen novel," Jenelle mumbled as Narcissa continued to run her hands over the tall girl's body, taking mental measurements no doubt.

Jenelle felt her cheeks grow hot and quickly pushed Narcissa's hands away.

"No matter, it may be in a few days but my mother will have us a spectacular ensemble in no time!"

"What? No, Cissy, I can't afford something like that-"

"Nonsense, this is a gift. You're representing my house after all, and we are nothing if not charitable in the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black." The girl fluttered her eyelashes and walked to her writing desk, pulling out parchment and quill to begin composing her scheme.

Jenelle took that moment to gather her belongings and make a beeline for the showers. Once she was settled in the stall with the steaming water washing over her she collected her thoughts and smiled.

 _A ball? This will be interesting, just what I need to get back into the swing of things. I can't wait to tell Sarah._


	37. Chapter 37 - Shock and Awwww

CHAPTER 37 - Shock and Awwww

* * *

"Sarah! Sarah, we have a problem. Well, maybe not. Actually yeah, I guess it is."

"Jen, I need coherency this late in the day," Sarah grumbled as she collapsed into her seat at dinner. It was a Gryffindor night, so they were at the far end of her house table. It was too early for dinner but Jenelle had grabbed Sarah and dragged her in to talk.

"Right, sorry. So, have you ever heard of the Harvest Ball?" Jenelle had a look in her eye that Sarah didn't like.

"A ball? Like, 'Once Upon a December' sort of thing?"

"I can only assume. I've never been to a ball before. At first I thought it was like our dances back at Ilvermorny, but it looks like it's a 'get all dolled up and do the two-step' kind of event." Jenelle gulped.

"So, what? You don't want to go? When is it?" Sarah asked, rolling the cricks out of her neck in slow, methodical movements.

"Saturday."

 _Hold up, what?_

"Like, next week Saturday?"

"No like, in two days Saturday."

"Merlin's balls Jenelle! That's so soon!"

"Heh, you sound like Black when you say that."

"Shut up. I'm SO GLAD that our FRIENDS gave us a heads up…"

Jenelle shook her head, looking like she was struggling to focus. Sarah worried that she was trying to take on too much, too soon after her attack.

"Well, here's the deal. According to Cissy-"

"I can't believe you call her that."

"What?! She's my housemate. I can't help it."

"Sorry, anyways?"

"ANYWAYS, this dance, _ball_ , is a pretty big deal according to her. It's when the Slytherins get to show off how much money they have or how influential they can be. Seems to be a hotspot for networking and the like. She even said something about finding me a suitor."

"Ew, gag."

"Right?"

Sarah was still trying to process what this meant for two days preparation. What in Isolt's name were they going to wear?! Then it hit her that it wasn't really Jenelle's problem. If this was a house-loyalty sort of event, Jenelle was covered as far as friends with connections.

"I guess I better hit up Professor McGonagall," Sarah sighed. "And I guess we need dates right?"

"That seems to be preferable. Though, I guess you don't have to worry about that," Jenelle winked at her.

Sarah wanted to _seriously_ gag at that.

"Well what about you? It would be sort of weird for you to go with Remus this time around if this is a Slytherin-centric event."

"I'm sure Cissy- er, _Narcissa_ is figuring something out as far as my impending date goes. I mean, she's already sent word for a dress that she's certain her mother will be able to get here by Saturday night."

A few dizzying images of potential ensembles were swirling in Sarah's mind. This was going to require some serious girl power to bring together. She'd need Lily's help too.

"Alright, so we're both going then?" she asked finally.

"Yeah! I'm sort of excited, I've never had a chance to get really dolled up before. And you know me, I love to dance."

"Oh boy, do I know. I've had to watch you slow dancing by yourself in the dorms back home while imagining some secret rendezvous with that _bimbo_ Clara Horowitz…"

"Hey, she was legitimately into me! Also, just because I didn't go to finishing school doesn't mean I can't groove."

"Ew, Jen, you're picking up too much seventies vernacular."

The blonde just smiled giddily at her and Sarah was inclined to join her. This actually sounded like a pretty fun event. She'd have to be careful around Malfoy though, he was sure to be in rare form. Like a peacock showing his plumage to attract a mate.

 _This better not turn into another shit show…._

* * *

The next morning Jenelle was on her way to Herbology with Remus at her side. They were meeting outside the castle grounds for class that day, somewhere on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Jenelle was still feeling a little woozy at times but overall her condition had improved greatly. She was happy to be outside in the cool air of autumn with the leaves crunching underfoot and the sun high and warm in the cloudless sky.

Remus was sure to always be nearby when they made their way down a precarious stone staircase or steep slope. He would reach his hand out behind her back, not touching but Jenelle always knew when it was there. They exchanged smiles and blushing cheeks, all the familiarity of young love blossoming between them.

"You really didn't know about the Ball, huh?" Remus asked cheerfully, a gleam of amusement in his eye.

She grinned slyly at him. "No, I was a little preoccupied, as you'll recall."

"Heh, right. Somehow you and Waterbrooke have managed to get both of you laid up in the infirmary over the course of a month. An impressive feat. Are the two of you as acquainted with the infirmary back at Ilvermorny as you are here at Hoggy Hoggy Hogwarts?" the young blonde teased.

Jenelle tried to recall the nurse's office back home. It was a quiet little corner of the castle, surrounded by towering pine trees that always left sticky little drips of sap streaking down the paned windows onto the window sills. The beds were made of light maple, dented and scratched with years of use. It was a warmer and more inviting image than the metal framed cots of the Hogwarts infirmary.

In truth, Jenelle had spent a lot of time there, and by default that meant Sarah had too, as her most loyal bedside companion.

"Well, now that you mention it," Jenelle laughed unsteadily, "I guess I do spend a fair bit of time there. But we call it the nurse's office, or nurse's ward. An infirmary is entirely British."

"Is it?" Remus asked amused.

Jenelle tried to put on her most convincing accent, "'Ello mates! Could I interest you in some buddabeahs? Cheers!"

Remus buckled over in laughter. "That was singularly the _worst_ impression I've ever heard. What in Merlin's name is a 'buddabeah'?"

"A butterbeer!" Jenelle laughed along.

"Goodness, you make us sound like neanderthals."

"Nah, you're all too stuck up to be cavemen," she teased.

The continued to talk and make jokes in quiet whispers all through class. Jenelle had almost forgotten that they shared the class with anyone at all until Severus came up to her an hour later as she packed up her parchments and vials of plant samples.

"Montagnard, could I have a moment?" the pointy-nosed boy asked mildly.

"Oh, hey Sev. What's up?" Jenelle looked over and saw Remus laughing at something with some nearby Gryffindors she didn't recognize.

"This is going to seem...capricious, but I'd like to think we are relatively close acquaintances, correct?" The boy had a steely look in his eyes when Jenelle turned to look up at him. Seeing that this was not a simple request to borrow some quill ink she stood, wiping the dirt from her hands on the outside of her robe.

"You're making me nervous, Sev. What's up? Is everything alright?"

"Nothing is wrong, I'm just under some considerable pressure from Narcissa you see." He swayed anxiously on his feet.

"Ah, I bet I can guess what this is about then," Jenelle sighed gently with a grin.

"Can you?" Severus looked surprised.

"Yes, I was already warned that I would need a Slytherin companion if I was going to attend the Harvest Ball. I figured it would be you that asked me, and I pretty much knew that Cissy would have a hand in it."

The slightest smirk creased the boy's lips. "That's not a hard conjecture to come to I suppose. But you're right, Narcissa did corner me late last night in the common room and all but threatened me to ask you."

Jenelle smiled and slipped her wand into the pocket of her robes. "And you don't need to fret about it any longer. My answer is yes, of course."

Severus' shoulders visibly dropped in relief.

"Thank Merlin for that. I'm not sure what I would have said to Narcissa if you had declined."

"I'm sure it would have been _me_ receiving the punitive judgment of that outcome," Jenelle joked. The two of them chuckled and Jenelle saw a familiar figure come around behind her.

"What's going on over here?" Remus asked warily, pointedly placing himself shoulder to shoulder with Jenelle.

"Nothing that's any of your business, _Lupin_ ," Severus said darkly, making a sudden (but not unexpected) shift in demeanor.

"What Severus _means_ is that we're just working out some logistics," Jenelle glared a warning at her housemate who shifted uncomfortably.

"Logistics about what?" Remus asked, not nearly as blatant in his disregard of Slytherin house as his fellow Marauders, but still on edge.

Jenelle paused for a second, her mouth hanging open.

 _How can I go about this in the most gentle way..._

"I will be escorting Montagnard to the Harvest Ball tomorrow night," Severus said bluntly.

 _Cue internal eye roll. So much for delicacy, Sev._

"Like hell you will Snape," Remus growled, losing his cool.

"Remus, relax. It's not like that. Severus is actually doing me a favor." Remus looked stricken at Jenelle's comment. "Wha-What I mean is, this is saving me from some embarrassment at the ball."

"Am I an embarrassment to you?" Remus said hurt.

"What? No! No, not at all. That's not what I meant," Jenelle raised her hands and tried to explain herself but seemed to be doing a pretty poor job of it. Remus took a step back and grimaced in the midst of his confusion.

"Listen, Lupin. Montagnard is only being kind. For Salazar's sake, I do believe you've finally come to match your compatriots in intellectual lacking. Or are you telling me that you've conveniently forgotten the Harvest Ball is an event with traditions that _must_ be upheld?" Severus asked cooly.

"I'd like to think my memory is just _fine_ , Snape. I know how the Harvest Ball is used for you Slytherins, but I don't think I care for the idea of Jenelle being paraded around for your housemates' inspection," Remus answered with eyes boring into Snape.

"I would never treat a fellow Slytherin that way," Severus said defensively. Jenelle hadn't thought so, but was still relieved to hear it.

Severus continued, "I suppose even you'll be able to understand that we will be going as acquaintances, and acquaintances only. But we _will_ be going together. I would hope you'd want to refrain from putting Montagnard in the position of having to choose between you and her house."

Remus looked to be considering the story being spun at him and after a few bone-chilling seconds to Jenelle, he relaxed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I understand. It's a matter of convenience, right?" He directed his question to Jenelle. She nodded furiously, ready for this little rift to be done with. Severus gave one solid nod and that seemed to be the end of it for Remus.

"Right. So Snape, you won't have a problem with me stealing Jenelle away as soon as I find her. I'll be taking her off your hands."

"Be my guest," said Severus. "No offense meant of course, Montagnard. I'm not much of a dancer."

"That's fine, Sev. Thank you." Jenelle smiled wide and waved goodbye as her housemate turned on his heels and joined the rest of the class on their hike back up the hillside to the castle. Jenelle turned to Remus and struggled to look him in the eyes.

"So…" she started.

"So, I'm still telling everyone you're my date," Remus said flippantly, then a reassuring grin bloomed on his face and Jenelle was at ease again.

"I'm sorry, I wanted to go with you too, truly," she confessed.

"No goodnight pleasantries with that slimeball though," Remus huffed, pulling up the strap of his bag over his head.

"Remus…"

"Sorry, not a slimeball. A...grease orb?"

Jenelle laughed despite herself and leaned forward to press a kiss to the boy's cheek.

Remus blushed slightly and looked up the hill at the last of the students disappearing over the stoney ledge. Then he bent down and wrapped his arms around Jenelle, lifting her in the air and spinning her around as she shrieked in surprise. When he finally loosened his grip she slid slowly down his front and rested her arms on his shoulders.

Then she took part in her new favorite, British pastime; _snogging_.

* * *

Sarah had spent the last two days panicked out of her mind.

 _TWO_ days. Two days she'd had to prepare for a huge event like a freakin' Harvest Ball.

 _Seriously! Why hadn't anyone said anything!?_

Thank Isolt, William and all the rest of the Ilvermorny founders for the amazing tag-team that was her housemate Lily and her Head of House McGonagall. Thanks to them, and a couple of reference images she's been able to sketch somewhat competently, the three of them had been able to create something completely unique and beautiful.

McGonagall had looked quite impressed with the final result, declaring that she'd never seen its like before. Lily had been swooning, exclaiming over and over about how Sarah needed to help her create some day-dresses and outfits based on the design they had finally decided on.

Sarah agreed wholeheartedly; with the amount of time and effort the two had put in to make sure she didn't look like a fashion reject tonight, she was planning on returning the favor threefold somehow.

 _A Lannister always repays their debts, and so does Sarah Yellowbanks._

She'd been extremely wary at first, not sure if what she had wanted was exactly considered kosher for such an event. The idea had come to her on a whim as the three witches had failed time and again to creating something 'modern' (for the seventies) and chic, for her to compete against the wealthy Slytherins.

Every design failed to hit its mark though: too long, too bright, too poofy, too revealing ( _too many damn bows!)_. By the time they had created their tenth failure Sarah was certain that she'd be better off going in a burlap sack than whatever else they could attempt to conjure. But then she'd had an idea, a crazy idea.

She'd pitched it to the two other women, and although they were a little confused, they did their best to follow her descriptions and instructions.

The result was nothing short of fantastic.

When she had looked upon the final result, yards of transfigured silk and embroidery flowing under her fingertips, Sarah had felt a wave of gratitude sweep through her.

"Thank you," she had whispered, teary-eyed. McGonagall had looked a bit uncomfortable, but had laid a hand on her shoulder in a show of support.

"Think nothing of it my dear," she said briskly, giving a small smile. "Every girl deserves a chance to feel like a princess, though I daresay that you may just pull off looking like a queen tomorrow."

She had flushed but nodded, aware that refuting her Professor's words would just be rude.

It was now only minutes before the start of the ball, and Sarah and Lily were running around their dorm with the rest of the upper-class students. They were applying makeup, fixing hair, and a million other little things that girls did in order to end their struggles with a look that made it all worth it.

Throughout the evening various girls made comments about her dress. Some were gushing and enthusiastic, expressing how they wished they too could pull off such a look. Sarah responded that as long as they were doing so out of respect for the culture, they had at least her permission to go ahead and try.

But mocking made up about half of the other comments she had received, although Lily had immediately glared down those girls as soon as they finished their backhanded observations.

"Ignore them, sweetheart," Lily hissed in her ear as she sent off another pair of spiteful girls. "They're just jealous. Those two in particular used to date Black a while back, and are still carrying a torch for him."

 _Ah yes, Sirius._ She had been adamant that they keep their relationship low key, although not exactly a secret. He had been a bit hurt when he had heard that, until she had explained her reasoning.

He had eventually caved to her request, but it didn't stop the rumor mills from going full speed. While they never went so far as to kiss or hold hands in public, Sirius was now much less hesitant to swing an arm around her shoulders or rest his chin on her head, which she had agreed to allow after some negotiations.

What this all led to was a seething mess of unclear communication and a horde of jealous ex's, all demanding to know what exactly her relationship was with the school heart-throb.

A few well-placed jinxes diverted most of the storm, but every so often another nosy Nancy would pop up, such as this evening.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Sarah asked for the thousandth time, worrying her lip in agitation.

Lily sighed. "For the last time, you're going to knock everyone dead!" she insisted. "Finish up your make-up now and I'll help you get dressed." Lily had already finished half an hour ago in preparation to give Sarah a hand; a gesture that the tiny Asian highly appreciated.

A few minutes later she was fully decked out and she turned hesitantly to the full-length communal mirror. She couldn't hold back a small inhale; it really was beautiful.

Lily slid up behind her, smiling from over her shoulder. "Told you," she stated simply.

"I'll never doubt you again. Have I told you that I love you lately? Because I do. I may just have to express my love in the form of food."

"Aww, you'll make me a home cooked meal even before your own man? Careful Sarah, he might just implode with envy."

"He has everything to worry about. He's got nothing on you."

Lily giggled before reaching for Sarah's hand, hidden under voluminous sleeves.

"Let's go knock 'em dead Waterbrooke."

"After you, Evans."


	38. Chapter 38 - A Marvelous Masquerade

CHAPTER 38 - A Marvelous Masquerade

* * *

Sirius was pacing the length of the Gryffindor common room, uncharacteristically nervous.

"Merlin's arse Pads, would you knock it off?" James griped from his seat, his stylish dress robes already creasing from crossing his arms. "At least you're going with the girl you _want_ to bring! What about poor Moony? What about _me_! I can't believe Evans said no to me! Who is she going with anyway?"

"Thomas Lancaster, I believe," Peter spoke up from where he had been idling in the opposite chair from James. He was going stag, proclaiming that he'd rather not get involved with all the drama that his other mates were dealing with. "And what happened to _your_ date Prongs?"

James waved a hand in the air, batting away Peter's question. "Told her I'd go pick her up from Hufflepuff soon, but I wanted to see Evans before I left."

Sirius finally halted in place to spin dramatically and point a finger at his friends. "Would you all shut your gobs!" he cried out. "Can't you see that I'm losing my mind over here!? You all are failing your duties as mates by not reassuring me!"

"What, do you want me to tell you that Waterbrooke _isn't_ likely contemplating jumping out of a window just to get out of going to the biggest event of the year on your ar- OW! DAMN IT PADS!" James rubbed the arm that Sirius had just punched, irritation clearly written on both of their faces.

"Why'd you have to go and say that? Now I'm panicking even more!"

"Not my fault your new bird thinks the worst of you due to your own self-made reputation!"

"Hey, guys?"

"Oh up yours, James!"

"AHEM."

Sirius blinked. That wasn't Peter's voice. He spun back around to spy Evans on the stairs, looking completely unimpressed.

"Are you two idiots finished?" she asked archly.

"E-Evans!" James squeaked, his eyes as big as galleons. "You, you look _amazing!_ "

Sirius had to admit (upsettingly) that James wasn't wrong. Lily was currently turning heads all around the room in a black, slinky number that fell to the floor in a river of onyx silk. Her wild mane was curled and pinned to the side, creating the look of a waterfall of fire coming down over her shoulder.

Sirius would give her a seven out of ten.

"Where's Sarah?" Sirius demanded nervously, "Is she still getting ready? Is everything okay? Does she need any help? I'm a helpful sort, I could help!"

"You could help by not saying a _word_ , Sirius."

His eyes ripped from a suddenly smug-looking Evans to peer into the shadows at the top of the girl's staircase.

"Waterlily?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming; hold your horses."

Sirius felt his mouth drop open a little more with every step that she descended. Inch by inch his eyes were greeted first by a sheet of white silk, followed by navy blue and delicately embroidered scenes of nature. The sleeves of her tunic were square and wide, covering all but her fingers. There were two stripes of lighter blue separated by a splash of maroon near her wrists, and he noted in the back of his head that the overall scheme matched her lauded Ilvermorny colors.

He'd never seen an outfit like hers before and had nothing to compare it to except some half-remembered pictures of old Oriental garments. As her face finally appeared in the light, Sirius was able to take her in fully. The effect of her dress along with her simple makeup and low hair bun made his girl seem worlds above and beyond him and for a moment, he lost his breath.

"Waterbrooke?!" James strangled out from behind him. "Holy hotspice, you clean up good!"

"Glad to know I meet your approval," she said with a smirk, before falling into a nervous silence under Sirius' still unmoving gaze.

"...It's horrible, isn't it? It's too much." She looked ready to bolt, and Sirius shook himself out of his stupor to race towards her, stopping inches away. This close he noticed that she was now chin-to eye level with him (instead of only coming to his chest). It was a little jarring but he could definitely get used to this as well.

He must have looked like an idiot as his hands fluttered uselessly in the air, but he honestly had no idea where to put them. He felt lying even a finger on her would be like dirtying a masterpiece.

"I..I, _wow_ , I uh, you look-". _Damn it tongue, now is not the time to be tripping all over yourself!_

Evans cut in, shouldering him aside to grasp _his_ girlfriend by the arm in a friendly embrace.

"I think he likes it," she whispered into the other girl's ear. Sirius could only nod up and down dumbly.

His girlfriend ( _his_ girlfriend, he couldn't get enough of saying that!) looked away, huffing. "Alright alright, so it's not so bad. If you've got your mask, can we go now?" Her bluster couldn't hide the pleased tilt to her lips, and Sirius finally smiled. She was still the same Sarah, despite all the fancy clothes and powders.

He held out a hand to her, bowing low to the ground. "I'd be more than honored, Miss Waterbrooke."

His heart sang when she hesitantly placed her hand in his.

* * *

The evening's festivities were already in full swing by the time that Lucius made his way to the Great Hall with Narcissa wrapped around his arm.

She looked as stunning as she always did, her burnished hair in waves and her lovely body clad in silver and green, Lucius could approve of the blatant House loyalty if nothing else.

They were being accompanied by Severus and his 'date', Montagnard. It appeared the transfer student had the good sense to appear on the arm of one of her own housemates this time. Her attire had him raising an eyebrow despite himself; Narcissa had said that she'd taken care of the girl's misfortunate lack of apparel, but Lucius hadn't expected her to look as good as she did.

The dress, clearly Narcissa's handiwork, was both conservative and fashionable, a perfect representation of pure-blooded class and breeding.

Swaths of cranberry fabric covered her to the floor; though her shoulders and upper arms were covered by a cape of iridescent blue, enchanted by the finest tailors in Diagon Alley to shimmer like a starry night in midsummer. Though the color pallet was Ilvermornian in nature, the cape was attached with an ornate, silver snake brooch nesting above the valley of the girl's breasts, and he approved heartily of its inclusion.

 _No more lions for her._

His group was arriving fashionably late, as was only appropriate. The soaring tones of a full orchestra drifted through the air as they arrived at the looming double doors; the music tonight had been chosen specially in accordance with the traditions of the Harvest Festival; traditions he could only hope would never be sullied by the mud-blooded filth that were, even now, clamouring for more allowance from their betters for representation.

 _As if they had a culture worth representing to begin with._

When the doors swung open for them Lucius took a moment to bask in the attention on himself as curious eyes by the dozen turned to stare at their entrance. Here, right here and now, was what was due to him as his birthright. Power and recognition, respect and fear. It would only grow as he became older and eventually succeeded the Malfoy family as its Head, but for now this would suffice.

Now, if only he had the correct token on his arm…

His eyes scanned the room closely as he descended with Narcissa into the room proper, looking for those unique Eastern features that he'd come to covet. No matter how intensely he scanned though, he couldn't find her.

 _Blast, where is that girl?_

It didn't help that this year's theme was a masquerade, so everyone, including himself and his party, had masks that were attached to their faces via simple sticking charms. Lucius of course had chosen a emerald boa motif with family heirloom gemstones embedded, while Narcissa had taken the mask of a resplendent white peacock in a nod towards the Malfoy family's favored pets. Snape and Montagnard had agreed to coordinate their masks with a looming grassland hawk for the surly boy, and a striking gold Thunderbird for the lady.

While not a huge factor, it did make identification more difficult than it would have been.

"Oh Lucius, the decorations this year are so lovely, wouldn't you agree?" Narcissa was staring with wide-eyed wonder at the ceiling above them. The standard enchantment had been replaced with a scene of suspended twilight; the skies lit with flaming red, deep indigo, and pale cerulean. Appropriate for the occasion, and he was quite sure the view would darken to starlight as the night went on.

"Of course, Narcissa," he replied absently, still lost in his observations. "Perhaps we should find our table? I sent Crabbe and Goyle ahead to reserve a spot just for the four of us."

 _Hopefully the idiots hadn't managed to bungle that one simple job, but it was honestly a toss-up sometimes with those two._

"That sounds lovely, Lucius! Come on Jenelle, let's go!" Narcissa led them all towards a table in the far corner, away from the common rabble. Luckily his two minions proved themselves _somewhat_ capable of responsibility and were waiting patiently where he'd told them to the day before.

As they approached Crabbe jumped up, smacking Goyle in the arm to gain attention. They were wearing complimentary masks of lesser rattlesnake patterns, indicating their family's fealty towards his own.

 _Loyal, incumbent idiots._

"Lucius! Got your table right here, have a seat! Narcissa, looking lovely as always. Err, Montagnard, Snape."

Lucius rolled his eyes at the brown-nosing but let it slide, pulling out a chair for his date. She sat down primly, her aura filled with excitement as the atmosphere suffused throughout her.

"Oh Lucius, we must dance soon. I heard that Professor Flitwick will be leading a _quadrille_ , we haven't danced the quadrille since the gala your family held last summer!"

"Umm, what's a quadrille?" Lucius and Narcissa both turned to peer at Montagnard, who shrank slightly under the combined weight of their stares.

"Don't tell me you were never schooled in even the most _basic_ arts of dance?" Lucius couldn't keep the derisive incredulity out of his voice.

 _Surely, American or not, a lady of her blood would have been taught such necessary things?_

"Well, I mean, I can do a pretty mean two-step. And a waltz! Kinda..."

Narcissa looked appropriately flummoxed. "But, but what about the _cotillion,_ the long scarf, the- the _tango!_ "

"Oh hey, I know that last one!"

Lucius was too well-mannered to smack his head down into the table in front of him, but it was a close call.

"Oh, oh well, don't worry darling," Narcissa rushed to reassure her new friend. "In about an hour or so the music will be switching to more modern fair, the style right now is mostly for the high-classes to showcase their talents."

"Why does that sound like you're calling everyone else talentless?"

Lucius cut in with a factual tone. "Because it is an undeniable truth, Montagnard."

"Lucius!" Narcissa hissed. "He doesn't mean it exactly like that Jenelle, it's just that these sorts of things used to only be for the pure-blood community as a way of establishing potential marriage contracts. The half-bloods and, _those below_ , simply let the tradition fade, but the _true_ people of the magical community know it's important to keep the tradition alive."

Montagnard had a particular look on her face. It somewhat matched the sullen glower of her date.

 _Ah yes, poor Severus. For all his talents he still has a long way to go to make up for his mother marrying a wastrel of a muggle._

The music switched numbers, an accordion coming in with sharp, distinct throbbing. Narcissa immediately squealed, tugging at his arm. "Oh Lucius, the _tango!_ Let's go!"

He sighed but obeyed, it wouldn't do to alienate his date within the first few minutes of arriving. "Of course, Narcissa. I assume that you will _not_ be joining us, Montagnard? Severus?"

The lank-haired man grimaced. "Don't even joke, Malfoy."

"Yeah, I'm with Sev on this one. Go on Cissy, I'll cheer from the sidelines!"

"Oh alright, but you must join later!" With that, Narcissa and Lucius were off, moving swiftly to a lesser-crowded area of the dance floor. Polished cedar had been laid out after dinner, providing an excellent grounding for the slightly demanding dance.

He quickly dipped Narcissa once they had enough space, indicating the start of their routine. The _tango_ was a bit too, _excitable_ of a dance from the more straight-laced Lucius to really enjoy, but it was one of Narcissa's favorites; " _The passion of it all!"_ , she had admitted with a blush.

 _Magic preserve me from the whims of fluttering females._

Nevertheless, to be less than excellent at anything was below the standards of a Malfoy, so he performed with aplomb. His footwork was flawless, his timing impeccable. Against the backdrop of a sultry violin soaring over the rest of the ensemble, he and his date cut quite the impressive figure.

 _As was expected._

When the song ended there was a round of polite applause. He paid it no mind until, out on the fringes of his hearing he caught a voice saying, " _That's_ what pureblood wizards and witches learn in Britain? I may as well just pack up and head home, save myself the embarrassment."

He spun on his heel to face the direction the voice had come from, only to find a vision both enchanting and infuriating.

There, standing halfway across the dancefloor, was the girl he'd been looking for ever since he'd stepped through the doors of the Great Hall.

 _And my, doesn't she just look stunning._

Her exotic heritage was on full display in a set of dress robes that seemed to radiate class and a demure air. An odd choice for his usually outgoing little Thunderbird, but to him it served to hint at the mature lady that she would one day become, and he highly approved of the choice.

The top half of her face was covered in a bone-white, porcelain mask stylized with highlights in blue to resemble what he believed to be a fox. All in all, she made for a captivating sight.

He couldn't wait to see what kind of reactions he could incite as soon as he got his hands on her; he did _so_ enjoy their banters. There was one thing that irked him though, and that would be the blood-traitor that seemed to be her escort for the evening.

 _Black._

He had heard the rumors of course, had seen the evidence with his own two eyes. Though there may have been no official announcement it was obvious that there was _something_ going on between the two. Black had been presumptuously forward with the girl lately, and although she put on a longsuffering mien she still allowed his pawing, rather than rebuking him as she usually did.

Lucius was not sure if they were seeing each other or not, but he would be _damned_ if he lost his little Thunderbird to _Sirius Black_ of all people.

"Lucius, what's wrong?" Narcissa's voice snapped him out of his temporary stupor; he turned to meet her questioning gaze with a polite smile.

"Nothing my dear," he consoled, stepping slightly away from his date as the source of his interest made her way towards the two of them. "I do believe I have someone to see though."


	39. Chapter 39 - Snark and Salutations

CHAPTER 39 - Snark and Salutations

*Writers Note* - These Harvest Ball chapters, while not exactly canon, were a real treat for myself and the co-author to write. We hope you enjoy the witty banter and our take on the angsty balls of powdered wigs that are the early Hogwarts generation. Throw on a playlist of classic waltz music and enjoy!

* * *

Sarah was uncomfortable. Exceedingly so.

James had bailed almost as soon as their group had arrived so that he could stalk Lily; taking his overly enamored Hufflepuff date with him. The poor girl was somehow stuck in a delusion that she wasn't playing second-string to the red-headed Gryffindor girl, and Sarah was willing to bet that she'd be lost in that fantasy for a good while yet.

Her mask of a beautiful but absent-minded butterfly seemed way too appropriate in Sarah's opinion, but she could admit that she may just have a problem with judging people too quickly.

Remus was sulking at their table, understandably upset that Jenelle had decided not to go with him to the ball. That was coupled with the fact that he'd yet to spy Sarah's tall friend in the crowd, and despite his reassurances that he was completely fine with the arrangement, it was obvious that behind his simple black mask he was not doing okay.

It would seem that the sandy-haired boy was more prone to brooding, jealousy-filled snits than she had initially assumed. _And here I thought him to be the rational one._

What it meant for Sarah though was that she was all alone without any kind of excuse not to pay attention to her date.

"So what do you want to do, Waterlily? Do you need something to eat? Or do you want to sit down for a turn? Have we been standing too long?"

Sirius had been admittedly wonderful so far, attentive, helpful, and eager to please. The problem was that his willingness to do everything for her put the independent Thunderbird on edge. Things like pulling out her chair and getting her drinks she could handle, but the constant questions, his seemingly incessant need to make sure that anything they did had her approval first, it made her feel inadequate and useless.

She kept her opinions to herself, not wanting to snap at the guy for being honestly caring, but with every passing minute it was like he could sense her growing discomfort and could only think to offer to do more in response.

"What do you want to do, Sirius?" She was happy to note that her voice sounded more exasperated than annoyed, she could accept that.

Black looked nervous, fiddling with the edges of his handsome gold-filigree mask.

"Well, err, if you want to, would you like to, um, dance?"

She tuned in to the music that had been playing in the background, but unfortunately she didn't recognize the song. "I mean, I'd like to, but I'd probably trip over myself. I'm a passable dancer sure but it's definitely not my strongest suit."

"That's fine! Don't worry! I was just taking a look at the song list for the night and noticed that, well, you see..." He trailed off to mess with something in his hands. Curious, she moved closer until their arms were brushing.

"There's a song list?" she asked in amazement.

He cleared his throat, holding up the beautiful manilla card for her to better read. "Just for the formal dances; we're right here, on the skarazula."

She had no idea what that was, choosing instead to look farther down the list until she spied something doable. "How about this?" she pointed to a set of two songs in a row. "Vienna waltz and the quadrille."

"Sounds great!" he jumped to agree, "They're just a few songs away, do you want to wait at the table until they start?"

 _And stick around this doom and gloom atmosphere?_ _Nope._ "How about we go mingle instead?" she offered, canting her head towards the crowd of people hanging around the edge of the wooden dancing platform. "There's a couple of people I want to say hi to."

He looked incredibly eager at the idea. "Definitely! Let's go right now!" With that, he grabbed her hand to wrap around his arm as he led her forward. She allowed it with some suspicion.

"What's with that face?" she asked cautiously. He broke out into a smug grin, tightening his hold on her arm.

"Why, I've got no idea what you mean, sweetheart," he cooed. He seemed to spy someone in the incoming gaggle of people that caused particular interest. As they approached he transferred the arm that was supporting her to wrap snugly at her waist. His other hand took the spot that was vacated so that her hand was resting delicately in his hold.

"What in William's name are you…?" She wasn't able to finish as Sirius broke out into a loud call.

"Lighthaven! Good to see you mate!"

"Are you crazy?" she hissed, trying to redirect their course to no avail. Sure enough, there was the ass in all his asshole splendor.

She thought his golden lion motif mask was hideous. His entire skull was covered in a red mane that looked more like a deadbeat mullet than anything resembling fashion.

"B-Black!" the teen in front of them sputtered, looking back and forth between the two of them in wariness.

Sirius put on his most charming smile. "How's that outbreak of bubotuber boils been treating you? Heard those things are right nasty to heal, especially if it's in a sensitive area like-"

"It's fine!" Lighthaven spoke furiously, looking around at the small crowd that had turned in to listen to Sirius' rather loud announcement. "Absolutely fine Black, thanks for asking, you're real kind," he cringed.

It wasn't even that difficult to imagine the cutting smirk on her boyfriend's face as he glared down Lighthaven with cold amusement. "Of course," he said smoothly. "I'm a caring bloke, isn't that right Waterlily? She agreed to be my date for the evening, lovely girl that she is. Doesn't she just make you want to do anything to make her happy?"

 _Wow, didn't know people could actually go that white in the face and not be dead_ , Sarah mused absently.

"Err, o-of course!" he stammered, looking like he wanted to run away but was too scared to move. "You look great Waterbrooke, uh, let me know if you ever need anything, yeah?"

The way is was said, it was like he was almost begging her for protection. She didn't know if she liked it. "Ah, sure, I guess." she answered carefully. "Not that I need anything, but I'll let you know..."

"Great! Well, I gotta fly, m-my date's waiting for me." Now the boy was slowly backing up, almost bumping into the couple behind him.

"You do that mate." Black wasn't even trying to hide his tone of superiority, "Be sure to treat that date of yours well, Merlin knows no one likes a bloke that makes any unwanted advances on a girl."

Sarah watched Lighthaven practically sprint away from them in shock. She turned after a second of gaping to glare up at Sirius.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded.

He had the nerve to look expectant. "I think what you're trying to say is, 'you're welcome'? Geez love, you told me how he harassed you in Potions that one time, remember? I'm just making extra sure that he never gets the idea in his head to do it again."

Sarah broke free of his grasp to stand in front of him, armed crossed and not amused. "Sirius Black, let's get one thing straight," she hissed as she looked directly into his eyes, refusing to back down on this point. "Not once in my life have I ever had someone stick their nose in my business like what you just did because most people know well enough that I can handle my own problems. I have never needed someone to come save me from the 'bad guys' and I will not be starting now, especially when it involves outright bullying!"

He stammered, wide-eyed in the face of her fury. "What? N-no! I didn't-" he shook his head frantically, "I, bullying?! I was protecting you!"

"I don't need protecting." She turned, ready to stomp back to the table, depressing company be damned, but her wrist was caught.

"Now hang on!" He looked irked now, obviously not happy that his efforts to take care of her were being less than appreciated. "Flaming quaffles Waterlily, don't tell me you like that tosser Lighthaven?"

There was a jealous demand in his voice, and she scoffed. "Are you insane? I wouldn't touch that idiot with a ten-foot pole!"

"Well then why are you defending him?"

"I'm not! I'm trying to tell you that I don't need you to defend me!"

"Err, guys?"

Both Sirius and Sarah cracked their necks with how fast they moved to look to James, who had snuck up on them during the course of their argument. "Not to interrupt, but you might wanna keep your voices down?"

Sarah felt her face heat up, ducking her head in shame. "...Sorry," she whispered to her feet. She heard a sigh from in front of her before a hand tilted her chin up. Sirius was looking at her fondly, if a bit exasperated.

"We still on for that dance?" He smiled slightly, obviously wanting to put the argument in the past, or at least on hold until they were in a more private setting. Sarah could work with that.

"Yeah, we're still on."

* * *

Sarah had to admit that watching Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black tear it up on the floor had been impressive. Props to a guy with fancy footwork, even if said guy was a sketchy, blood-prejudiced jerk.

 _And a jerk with nicer hair than her, at that!_

The music moved on to the next piece, and Sarah took the chance to move forward, ignoring Sirius' squawk of protest as he hurried to keep pace with her.

"Narcissa, hi!" she said cheerfully, causing the blonde beauty to turn and look at her with suspicion. Sarah couldn't blame her; despite their decent first meeting the only thing they had in common was Jenelle. Well, that and Lucius Malfoy, but she'd rather not think about that. "You two were amazing out there! I couldn't tear my eyes away!"

Narcissa was polite enough to take the compliment gracefully. "Thank you, Waterbrooke. Lucius and I have been dance partners for quite a while. It's only natural that we move seamlessly together."

Sarah nodded, smiling brightly. "I was hoping you could tell me where Jenelle is? I haven't had the chance to see her new dress. I heard that you offered to take care of things for her regarding the preparations though, thanks for that."

Now Narcissa looked offended, though for the life of her Sarah didn't understand why. "Of course I helped her, Waterbrooke," the Slytherin sniffed, "She is my housemate after all. It was the least I could do for my friend."

 _Oooh bitch you did not just go where I think you went._

Sarah could practically feel her smile twitching in agitation. "That is so kind of you, looking after my _best friend_ like that."

"Well I can only assume that it must be terribly difficult for you to split your time between your old friends and your new ones. I am simply filling up the space you left behind."

"Oh, there's really no need. Jenelle and I always make sure to put aside time for each other. We're sweet like that."

"It really is not a problem for me. Why, I'm sure if you were to spend more time with your Gryffindor coterie, she wouldn't even notice your absence."

 _Isolt give me strength, I'm gonna smack a hoe for the first time in my life._

"Your dress is quite lovely by the way, I never got to tell you." Sarah continued through gritted teeth. "Mind, I don't think I could ever see myself in something so daring. I'd probably die of embarrassment, you know?"

"You're too kind. Not everyone has the height to pull off such a look it's true, but I must say you've been turning eyes as well! Such a conservative cut, and so delightfully foreign. Why you look positively native!"

"Well I just thought that fashions come and go, like looks, but certain kinds of beauty last forever."

"Very true."

Her smile was definitely twitching as she turned to acknowledge the blatantly amused Lucius Malfoy, who had stood in silence along with Sirius as they watched the proceeding catfight like one would a game of tennis.

 _Assholes_.

She really didn't want to have to acknowledge Lucius; in their last conversation, she'd tried to make it clear that she was done playing around with him. But necessity begets ingenuity, or in this case, disingenuous politeness.

"Lucius, hi, how are you? Could you tell me where Jenelle is?"

He gave her a smirk. "I do believe that Miss Montagnard is at our table in the far corner," he answered, ignoring the hissed "Lucius!" coming from his date.

Sarah triumphantly grabbed Sirius, who went along with bemusement, "Lovely, thank you."

"Anytime, Miss Waterbrooke."

Sarah whispered out of the corner of her mouth as they moved away from the blonde duo.

"Sirius."

"Yeah, love?"

"When the waltz comes up, I sure hope you know your steps. Because I'm going to blow that biddy and her pet peacock out of the water."

"Sure thing, love. Who doesn't love upstaging a couple of snooty Slytherins?"


	40. Chapter 40 - Dizzying Dances

CHAPTER 40 - Dizzying Dances

* * *

Jenelle was trying her absolute best not to stuff her face full of the sweet tarts and scones that were so delectably laid out on the covered tables lined up against the walls of the great hall. Narcissa had given strict orders not to consume anything beyond the occasional sip of water throughout the evening.

That would have been fine too if she hadn't also prevented Jenelle from eating anything in the six hours leading up to the ball.

 _Just a nibble. I just need something to hold me over…_

"I wouldn't. You never know when our debutant overlord may be watching," Severus cautioned.

Jenelle grunted a very unladylike sound and pouted, leaning back in her seat. "This is so unfair! All the other students are chowing down!"

She looked on with envy as students from a table down the way were actually making a game out of throwing truffles into each other's open mouths. She could hear her stomach grumble.

"All the other students are graceless smegs," Severus said matter-of-factly, throwing a small grin her way. Jenelle continued to pout and crossed her arms over the cold snake broach between her breasts.

"You're not a very good date. A good date would feed me."

"Maybe, but a good friend would stop you from embarrassing yourself," Severus said coyly.

" _Hardy har har_ ," she faked a laugh. But she couldn't stay mad at him. He was being awfully kind and patient considering she knew he would rather be yucking it up with Lily. They hadn't laid eyes on any of their Gryffindor companions yet. Jenelle had strained her neck to the point of almost snapping a ligament trying to see over the crowd from her seat where she had been placed by Narcissa.

 _This must be how Sarah feels trying to find me all the time…_

"You know, Sev, we could go out onto the floor and try to find everyone-"

"Absolutely not."

"Aww why not? You can't be THAT bad at dancing!"

"Have you ever seen a mermaid out of water?"

"What? No! That would be cruel."

Severus rolled his eyes under his mask. "Yes, well. It's like that in any case."

Jenelle leaned forward and tried to put on her most seductive and charming glare. She made sure her arms didn't obstruct the view of her cleavage and that her hair was laid in a long, blonde plait on either side of her mask.

"Wouldn't you like Lily to see how well you handle a girl?" she cooed.

Severus swallowed and tried to pass it off with a stiff cough. _Success!_

He stirred uncomfortably for a moment. Jenelle kept her gaze as sultry as she dared, not wanting to give the wrong impression but just enough of a push to get the boy to do her bidding.

"I suppose we could catch the end of a straightforward, simple number…"

"Yee!" Jenelle squealed, getting up from her seat beside the tall, lanky boy. She squirmed around the tightly packed chairs and rounded the boy before he could stand, grabbing him by the hand and yanking him out onto the floor before he had a chance to change his mind.

There was a fair amount of grumbling, but she pretended not to notice.

The music was right in the middle of an easygoing foxtrot number. Jenelle wasn't super sure of her steps, but she saw that a fair few of other students were winging it so she didn't feel poorly about stepping in. She dragged Severus far enough to the center of the room that she could see all around the periphery while they danced. When she rounded on him and raised her hands he paused, his exposed cheeks looking even paler than normal.

Jenelle grew concerned. "Are you alright, Sev?"

"What? Erm, yes."

"It'll be fine. Just put your hand up here," she pointed over her shoulder, "And then grab my hand." The boy followed her commands with tense movements but soon she had him stepping toward her, and back, and forward again, until they learned a steady rhythm that brought them in wide circles across the floor.

Jenelle kept a keen eye out for Sarah. She didn't get enough information before the ball about what her friend's dress would look like so she was looking for any shorter figure with dark hair under their masks. So far there was nothing. She pouted at the difficulty of finding just one particular Asian girl and noticed Severus eyeing her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, switching from watching his feet to watching her face.

"Hm? Oh, no. You're doing so well! Did you see Lily yet?"

The boy frowned. "Not yet. But it's a fool's errand. It's not as if we could dance together, even if we did want to."

Jenelle tried to look deeper into the boy's eyes as they switched hands and started back toward the center of the circle. "Do you ever think that maybe you try too hard to fit into the Slytherin crowd?"

His steps faltered and Jenelle thumped her legs into him for a moment while they regained their rhythm. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"I just thought, since you enjoy spending time with Lily, why not just do what you want and ask her out?" Jenelle knew she was walking a fine line in their time-traveling secrecy, but she couldn't help wanting to pair people together!

"You make it sound like the easiest thing to accomplish," Severus said slightly gloomy. Jenelle noticed he was dragging his feet and felt poorly for bringing up the subject.

"Aw, I ruined the mood, sorry, Sev. Never mind me! My manners aren't from this decade." She tried to smile at him and flash a wink. The boy responded with a twitch in the corner of his mouth which Jenelle was sure was the closest to an agreement she was going to achieve.

She squeezed his hand comfortingly and he returned the gesture.

"Ah. Just when I was beginning to enjoy myself…" The dark-clad Severus sighed and Jenelle looked about to see what he was seeing. She laid her eyes on a tall boy in a handsome black and white robe walking her way. There were little wisps of wavy blonde hair spilling over the matte black mask and Jenelle knew it was her Remus.

 _In Sarah's words; so heartthrob, much handsome._

"I thought about staying on the sidelines and watching more of, whatever you call this, dancing? But I thought better of it and decided to come save you." Remus winked through his mask and Jenelle felt her heart putter like an old car engine.

Severus dropped his hands from Jenelle's and turned to Remus. "Took you long enough Lupin," he grinned sardonically, "Thought I would have to do your job all night, as you seem painfully inadequate."

The music slowed to a stop and the dance floor was lively with chatter all around them. Remus reached out and slipped a hand behind Jenelle's back, under her enchanted cape, and twisted her around to place his back to Severus. Looking over his shoulder he made a short hissing sound and gestured with his head. "If you'd kindly bugger off now Snape, I'll show you what dancing is supposed to look like."

Jenelle barely had time to scold Remus for being too abrasive when the music started up again and she spotted a parting in the crowd of dancers. There were two couples walking towards the center of the floor with their arms outstretched, guiding the girls ahead as the music rose with the familiar pat patter patter of the Viennese Waltz.

Jenelle recognized Narcissa's glinting gown at once, and looking over at the other she saw a flurry of white fabric with a high folded neckline.

 _At last! Found the little digwallen. And that dress! Oh Sarah, look at you getting in touch with your roots and killing the game._

Not wanting to undermine what was sure to be an extreme formal dance-off, Jenelle unwound her hands from Remus and yanked on his lapels, pulling him to the crowd of students gathering around the diameter of the circle as the dancers took their place.

Jenelle was pleased to see Sirius was concentrating deeply and had the slightest superior air of a noble family in his stride. Perhaps he would manage to be a formidable dance partner for Sarah, who had the upbringing to slay a dance as sweeping as the Viennese.

They had their work cut out for them though, as Jenelle watched Lucius swing Narcissa around in a wide arch into his arms. The two of them moved as if they had come waltzing out the womb together.

Feeling Remus' comforting hand on her lower back, Jenelle stood with the rest of the school to watch the show.

The boys dipped their partners back in a yin-yang, the girls' hair almost close enough to touch. Jenelle noticed none of them were going to afford the other any advantage by looking at each other. They had their eyes cast in faraway glares over their shoulders and Sirius adorably followed Sarah's lead by taking the same posture he saw Lucius take.

As the tempo of the music reached a peak, the two couples took off, swirling back and away from each other in broad strides across the floor. The room was silent now, apart from the rising volume of the small ensemble of witches and wizards playing music at the far end of the room, where the teachers normally ate. Jenelle could just barely make out the click of the dancer's shoes on the stone floor as they whizzed by.

She lifted a hand just enough to get Sarah's attention, and was met with a wide eye and smirk from her best friend.

Sirius brought their hands up and twirled Sarah around and away from him as her dress flared and kissed the air with the momentum of her spin. The sleeves of her dress were long enough that as she reached out her free hand it almost covered her fingertips, giving her a very delicate look. Sirius gave a little tug and Sarah effortlessly curled herself back into his arms, now standing side by side, and they stepped back and twisted in tight circles around the perimeter of the room.

Jenelle watched them dance away as Lucius and Narcissa came into view. The two were spinning so quickly it looked like Narcissa's shoes were hardly touching the floor. Lucius had a steady, toothless grin plastered to his face under his sparkling mask and the feathers atop Narcissa's swan headdress were bending and fluttering about as they moved.

Lucius reached his hands out in front of him, leading Narcissa away into a little spin where she came to a stop and did a quick little curtsy. Lucius strode over to her, taking a step around to her back, and gripped at her hands as she rose. They took after Sirius and Sarah who were closing in, making tighter rounds about the room.

Jenelle was transfixed. It was normal to learn about this sort of dancing in textbooks, or to watch one too many historical fiction films (as she had been known to do), but to see it in person with the clapping of heels and whooshing of the dresses was unreal. She couldn't take her eyes off of Sarah or Narcissa, making it impossible to tell who was actually faring better. They both seemed to be at the mercy of whatever direction the boys decided until the two couples wound up back in the room's center.

As the final crescendo came to an end, the boys faced one another and the two girls grabbed at the side of their dresses. The girls danced around each other, not close enough to touch, but close enough for their dresses to soundlessly collide. Then, returning to their partners they were zipped into the air and brought down with a turn, taking one of their partner's hands and ending with a curtsy and an answering bow.

Jenelle joined the rest of the student body in an enthusiastic round of applause. Even Remus was whooping at his mate and pointing a hand at James who he saw across the way. Jenelle finally caught Sarah's eye, after she bent low to sweep up the front of her dress and scurry over to greet them.

"Sarah! That was amazing! You really are a whole other breed," Jenelle said enthusiastically.

"Was it really alright?" the little Asian sighed, catching her breath and removing her mask to dab the back of her hand against her brow.

"It was wicked!" Sirius chimed in. "Did you see, Remus? We bloody showed those toty tots a thing or two, didn't we Waterlily?" The dark haired boy was beaming from ear to ear, not nearly as out of breath but that made sense considering his affiliation to Quidditch.

"I saw it all mate. You and Waterbrooke have some pretty good moves." Remus smiled and gave Sirius an encouraging slap on the arm.

"Shows them right, challenging a upright witch such as yourself," Jenelle winked at Sarah as she ushered her over to a table where they could sit her down. She grabbed a glass of water and offered it to the girl whose dress was spilling out over the floor in a wide white poof, like a melted marshmallow.

"So...much fun," Sarah panted between gulps of water. Jenelle was laughing, so happy to see her friend enjoying herself after the rough couple of months they had had.

* * *

The Harvest Ball was going rather smoothly after the dance-off between Sarah, Sirius, Lucius and Narcissa. The rest of the Marauders had been pretty impressed with Sirius' dance skills and were drilling him on what seemed to be a rather uncomfortable childhood memory of wizard finishing school. James, in particular, was ruthless with his questions, making Sirius throw a scone or two across the decorated table they had settled in to rest.

"I think it's wicked, Pads," said Peter, stuffing his mouth with yet another bread roll with a huge gob of butter on top.

"Wicked posh," James smirked, quickly throwing his head down to dodge a fork.

"Enough with the projectiles, Sirius," Sarah scolded with a glare. Sirius made a sweet pout at her. Jenelle made a gagging gesture at Sarah who signaled her agreement with an eye-roll, unbeknownst to the lovesick puppy at her side.

Jenelle was enjoying herself just by sitting close to Remus, their hands clasped gently together under the tablecloth. Remus was drawing little circles on her thigh with his thumb and it sent sweet shivers up her spine. She was laughing freely and taking any opportunity to rest her head momentarily on his shoulder, or lean in to whisper in his ear.

James had snuck in a small flask of firewhiskey that they were passing under the table and pouring into their drinks. The liquor made Jenelle's chest feel warm and her cheeks flush.

She was pleased to see Sarah enjoying herself so freely. Amongst the Marauders, Lily, (who had joined them once James had sufficiently upset his date) and the occasional straggler from their classes stopping by to say hello. The white-clad Ilvermorny girl seemed to be in her comfortable social element. There wasn't the usual hint of putting on airs that had persisted at the Slug Party, but instead she was cracking crude jokes and teaching the others how to play flip cup (which turned out to be problematic with glass chalices).

Remus leaned in during her reflections and whispered so closely Jenelle could feel his breath in little puffs on her cheek.

"We never did get to show off," he said suggestively. She turned to him with a small smile and forced herself not to make eye contact, so sure she would just need to kiss him then and there.

"Is this you asking me to dance?" she whispered back, staring at his chin.

"I believe I am, yes."

He pressed his palms to the edge of the table and pushed back, standing in a flourish and the screech of his chair. Everyone at the table turned at the noise. He rested one hand on his lower back and reached out with the other, the lacy folds of his ascot swaying gently.

"Miss Montagnard, if you'd do me the extraordinary honor," he said in a silky, knowing voice.

Jenelle didn't have the special upbringing that her best friend had. There hadn't been finishing school or dance lessons or corrections of etiquette at family dinners. But she was a huge fan of historical fictions and knew at least this was a chance to show off what little classier side she had.

"I would be delighted," she said as she lifted her hand and placed it delicately in his own, gathering the skirt of her dress as she stood. She looked back at the table as Remus led her around towards the dance floor. Sarah was doing her best to wink, while the other boys hooted and hollered all manner of suggestive interjections.

They turned in their chairs to watch as Jenelle was guided to the center of the dance floor. She recognized the familiar Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song wafting over the record player that had taken over after the orchestra was disbanded some time ago. There was something familiar and sweet about dancing to a song she was certain her mother had danced to (was dancing to) at the same time.

Remus rounded on her and unashamedly pulled her in to press the length of him against her. He wrapped an arm under her cloak to lay lightly on her back and held the other with their hands out for a moment, before drawing it in to rest between their chests. They smiled at each other, not needing to speak as they moved their bodies in slow little circles around where they stood.

Some of the other couples were dancing in the space as well, their eyes awkwardly staring over their partner's shoulders, and boys' hands placed in odd places on the hips of their dates.

Jenelle couldn't pay them enough mind to laugh at their awkwardness. All she could see was the bright, cinnamon eyes of her Remus staring sleepily back into her own. Jenelle couldn't remember herself breathing and didn't want to, knowing each breath would bring them one beat closer to the end of the song.

Remus closed his eyes, resting his feathery blonde lashes on the tops of his cheek. Jenelle admired them for a moment then mimicked by closing her own, leaning forward to rest the forehead of her mask against his.

" _Helpless, helpless, helpless,_

 _Baby can you hear me now?_

 _The chains are locked and tied across the door,_

 _Baby, sing with me somehow."_

She could have stayed in that moment forever, feeling the strokes of his thumb through the silky fabric of her navy gown, hearing his breathes steady and relaxed with the span of his chest pressing into her own. There was no stepping on toes, they were dancing far too slow for that, and when she did sneak a peek over the boy's shoulder, she saw the others were back to their banter at the table, paying the dancing couple no mind.

 _That's alright. This is really for us_ , she thought to herself serenely.

But it seemed it wouldn't last.

The song stopped with a high-pitched whine as the needle was scratched off the record. Remus and Jenelle both glanced up, still in a sleepy trance and coming to a stop in the middle of the floor. All heads were turning, looking for a reason for the delay when a loud bang resounded through the space, echoing into the high, enchanted ceiling.

Both doors to the great hall were swinging open swiftly. The force of their movement and the unexpected boom had Jenelle clinging to Remus' upper arms. The boy was gripping her tightly and turning the two of them towards the entrance to the hall.

A group of dark-robed wizards were entering in haste, wands out and barking commands that spread the group out among the students and onto the dance floor. The taller, bulkier one of the group was stalking purposefully with heavy steps towards Headmaster Dumbledore, who had stood upon their arrival from his seat next to a befuddled Professor Slughorn.

"Remus? Who are they?" Jenelle said in a shallow breath.

The golden boy narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on her.

" _Aurors_."


	41. Chapter 41 - Can You See Fire?

CHAPTER 41 - Can You See Fire?

* * *

Sirius was holding Sarah in his arms as the Aurors spoke in low, hushed tones with Headmaster Dumbledore. The old wizard's face progressively grew more grave with each second that crept by until he turned with grim forbearance to face the sea of faces standing below the Professor's table.

"Students," amplified by the power of a _sonorus_ , Dumbledore's voice reached every single ear in the Great Hall. "Please remain calm and orderly, I have a serious announcement to make. Auror Shaleburn has just informed me there has been an attack of some nature on Hogsmeade, and that the situation is ongoing."

Sarah gasped quietly at his side and he pulled her more firmly against him, his grip tight with shock.

"No way," she whispered, and he could only nod in agreement as a cloud of nervous chatter descended upon the Great Hall. Dumbledore cleared his throat to regain attention.

"The Ministry and I have agreed that it would be safer for all students to return to their dormitories until further notice. Prefects and Head Boy and Girl, please see to any students under the age of fifteen. All students of fifteen or above please make your way back to your quarters in an orderly and timely fashion. Your Heads of House will be joining you in your common rooms for roll call. That is all."

"Come on Waterlily," Sirius tugged at his date's arm, leading her gently to follow the sea of bodies heading for the exit. Sarah was worrying her lip as she searched the room, probably looking for Montagnard.

He tugged again. "Sarah, let's go, love."

"Sirius!" James burst through a group of bodies to come to a halt in front of the couple. He was frantic-eyed as he leaned forward to hide their conversation from passers-by. "Have you seen Moony?"

"Over here James." Remus, along with Montagnard, appeared from their left, both looking equally shaken by the news they'd just received.

"Jenelle," Remus turned towards the blonde girl, taking her hand into his, "let me walk you back to the dungeons, I can-"

"Bugger that!" James interrupted, a hand slicing through the air. He beckoned impatiently at them to follow as he led everyone to an inconspicuous corner of the room. When everyone was within the vicinity they charmed their masks off their faces. Then James cast a quick, hidden _muffliato_ and spoke. "We need to get to the Whomping Willow _now_!"

Montagnard looked at Prongs like he had just sprouted antlers without the use of his animagus. "Are you deranged Potter?!" incredulity dripped from her every word, "There's a terrorist or crazy people attacking Hogsmeade and you want to _spectate like it's a Quidditch game?_ "

"NO! Look," James mussed his hair in agitation. "Siri and the rest of us need to go check on Madam Rosmerta, alright? She could be in trouble!"

Sirius felt his heart ice over as his mate's words echoed in his mind. _Oh Merlin, how could he have forgotten, Rosmerta!_

Montagnard's cheeks were rouging in her anger. "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard! There are trained professionals out there and you want to step on their toes and probably get yourselves killed just because you feel like playing hero. You barely know Madam Rosmerta!"

"Moony, back me up here!" Remus looked torn, glancing between the two pairs of eyes that were pinned to him in expectation.

"Err, James..." he began but was cut off immediately when the bespeckled boy threw his hands into the air.

"Oh don't puss out on us now of all times Moony! Rosmerta's done us more than a few good turns and you expect me to just stand here while she could be hurt or worse?"

He turned to Sirius. "Pads? You're with me, right?"

Sirius was quick with his answer. "Of course mate, you don't even have to ask." He looked to his right, where Sarah had been standing quietly so far.

"What do you think, Waterlily?" He smirked down at her, pulling her close to his side. "You feeling up for a spot of adventure?"

She opened her mouth, no doubt to give an affirmative, but suddenly stopped to look at Montagnard who was pinning his girlfriend with a demanding look. Sirius felt a sting of jealousy at the sight; taking his side shouldn't even be an issue!

"Don't tell me you're scared, are you?" he challenged, knowing by now that if there was one thing Sarah hated, it was being called a coward in any form.

Just like he'd counted on, she was swift to defend herself. " _No,_ " she stressed, glaring up at him. "I am _not_ scared! Jenelle," she turned to the blonde, "if you want to stay that's fine, but I guess someone has to go and make sure this gang of idiots doesn't get themselves killed."

Montagnard looked like she was having trouble deciding who to glare at more. "Are you kidding me!? Use your brain Sarah. There's no way that Potter's only reason for wanting to smuggle himself out to Hogsmeade is just to check in on a bar owner that's done them a favor or two, that's ridiculous!"

Sarah abruptly turned on James, an eyebrow cocked expectantly. "Well?"

James looked wounded as he placed a hand over his heart. "Bloody hell Waterbrooke, why can't you believe that I just want to help someone? My intentions are pure!"

"I would have believed you too, up until that last line."

"Bit of an overplay James," Sirius nodded gravely.

James kept it up for as long as he could, but eventually couldn't withstand the gazes of Montagnard, Waterlily, and Remus combined, exploding with up-thrown arms. "Okay fine! Merlin's pants you three, so I want to see if the attackers are Death Eaters, so hex me!"

Sirius was surprised when both Montagnard and Sarah paled at that. "You've heard of them?" he asked.

He supposed that it wasn't impossible, but he figured that the infamous Death Eaters were still a relatively minor problem that people outside of Britain wouldn't be aware of.

"It's official," Montagnard was crossing her arms in front of her in a big 'X'. "I am _not_ going."

James looked completely fine with that, and Sirius wasn't all that torn up about it either; it's not like they needed the girl anyway. James was grinning as he clapped a hand down in both Sarah and Sirius' shoulders. "All right! Now that that's settled then, let's go! Monty, we'll miss you, really."

Peter squeaked in fright, looking like he'd rather take on the giant squid without his wand than go along with their scheme, but that was normal for the nervous boy, so Sirius ignored it with his usual poise. He saw Remus shoot an apologetic look over his shoulder at Montagnard as their group split apart, James leading the pack and speaking quietly once more.

"Let's run back to the dorms to change and sign in for roll call, then we'll head out with the cloak." No one had a problem with the plan, so they all stayed silent as they finally joined the last of the stragglers that were leaving the Great Hall.

* * *

"I still think you're all a bunch of suicidal idiots."

Remus felt his head shoot up in surprise as the portrait of the Fat Lady inched shut. It had taken quite a bit of maneuvering to get past the gaggle of students milling around the common room, but luckily for them James' cloak had hid just enough of them to exit without being seen. They had gone in groups of three; James, Sirius, and Sarah first, then James had gone back to pick up Peter and Remus. They had all made it completely undetected and were now standing in the shadowed hallway.

"So Jen showed up all by herself," Sarah spoke like navigating from the dungeons to Gryffindor Tower _without_ the aid of something like the Marauder's map was no big deal. James was mirroring Remus' shock, slack-jawed in bewilderment.

"How-why-?" Remus stuttered, not knowing exactly what he was trying to say.

 _How did you bypass all the patrolling professors?_ _Why did you come if you were so against it?_

Thankfully, Jenelle seemed to get the gist of his concerns and she crossed her arms in disapproval. "Look, if Sarah is going to make sure you lot don't die, then I'm going to make sure _she_ doesn't get killed looking after your sorry asses."

Remus winced as he watched Sirius' proverbial hackles rise.

"Are you saying I can't protect my own girlfriend?" The noble-born teen looked like he was spoiling for a fight and didn't really care what Jenelle's answer would be.

Jenelle wasn't intimidated by the posturing though. "Okay, first? She doesn't _need_ you to protect her Black, she takes care of herself."

"I am also right here."

"Second," the blonde continued, looking eye-to-eye her opponent while ignoring Sarah, "I couldn't care less about your bruised ego; I'm going and if you don't like it, that's too bad."

Sirius looked about two seconds away from slinging curses, both verbal and magical, so Remus stepped forward to gently break them apart.

"I, for one, am glad she's here. It'll be nice to not be the only voice of reason. Besides Jenelle, you're always more than welcome among us, _isn't that right, Sirius?_ "

His friend's more-than-likely-negative reply was cut off as Sarah smacked her boyfriend soundly on the arm. Remus couldn't help but be extremely glad that they were dating now; she was doing an excellent job so far at curbing the worst of Sirius' foot-in-mouth.

"Can we stow this for later? I thought we had somewhere to be." The smaller girl's words had a sobering effect on everyone. Only about ten minutes had past since the Aurors had come to Hogwarts, but ten minutes was more than enough for something horrible to happen.

"Right," James reached into his pocket, but halted abruptly. Remus soon realized why when James spoke out hesitantly. "Err, about that, actually."

"What's the hold-up?" Jenelle asked, looking impatient.

"Well, you see. This is a bit embarrassing but, could you and Waterbrooke maybe, err, cover your eyes?"

"What the hell Potter?"

"Look, it's a Marauder secret okay?" James crossed his arms like a child refusing to share his favorite toy. "Sarah and Padfoot may be dating now, but there are certain things that are still ' _member's only_ ' see, and sorry to say but you're not exactly-"

Sarah was holding her head in the palm of her hand, looking fed up in the extreme. "Oh Moll Dyer's stake, James" she glared, "neither of us want to join your super secret boy band. Just," she sighed, placing her hands willingly over her eyes. "Whatever you're gonna do, don't you dare let me trip or I swear I'll make you pay."

Sirius quickly made a nuisance of himself, making all sorts of outlandish offers of gallantry to the temporarily-blinded girl. Remus used the distraction to send Jenelle a begging look.

"Please," he asked simply. He really didn't want to fight with her about this, but he understood where James was coming from; the Map ranked just below their animagus forms and his werewolf status as the biggest secret of the Marauders, and James had a right to be reluctant.

"... _Fine_ " she eventually spat out and Remus breathed a sigh of relief, stepping forward to gently take her arm.

"Thank you," he whispered as she covered her eyes and James brought out the Map.

"You owe me," she muttered back, and Remus pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, chuckling as he watched her grow red.

* * *

It's one thing to learn about war. There's a sense of detachment that can't be helped while reading from a textbook full of death toll statistics. A person can feel a wave of disgust when hearing a first-hand account of the atrocities that hate and intolerance bring.

It's one thing to learn about war.

It's an entirely different beast, seeing the birth of it with your own eyes.

The Shrieking Shack was located on top of a hill that had access to a panoramic view of the village below. If one had good eyesight, it would not be impossible to catch the more minute details of a building's architecture or even personal details of passersby during the day.

Under the light of a waning moon, things were much harder to make out, but the fires helped.

The buildings were on fire. Shops, cottages, _homes_. Tongues of flames and scattered rubble were easy to spot. In the streets, the sounds of mournful wailing rose to reach Sarah's ears even from as far away as she was. There were barked commands wafting in the air, Aurors trying to mitigate the remaining citizens while controlling the spreading blaze.

She could make out a group of six Aurors standing in a tight circle at the intersection where the road leading to the Shack connected with the main strip. There were four cloaked bodies lying prostrate on the ground motionless, but they must have still been a threat since no less that three Aurors kept their wands trained on the captives at all times.

There were other bodies in the streets as well, a few masked in bone-white. The majority of the dozen she could see, though, were not. They were everyday witches and wizards. Young and old.

Over there, just outside the entrance to a spell-blasted shop, face-down in the dirt was a tiny body, couldn't have been older than six or seven, a _child_ -

The picture of horror in front of her blurred. For a moment she wondered if the window she'd been peering through had fogged up, but realized that was silly; there was no window, only open air.

She didn't move to dash away her tears. She couldn't.

The others around her were silent. They all had fallen into a dumbstruck hush once they had stepped closer to the broken windows facing the town, when they truly realized just what they were seeing. She could feel Jenelle shift away from her right and she knew that her friend was now buried in Remus' arms. She was sobbing softly, and Sarah wondered if she'd spied the child as well.

Peter was the one to break the stillness that had befallen them when his legs gave out beneath him. He fell to the creaking floorboards with a whimper, his vision now cut from the scene outside but obviously able to see it behind his glazed eyes.

Sarah's head slowly turned left to James and Sirius. They were both pale as death, or well, maybe not. The bodies outside, _those_ were pale as death. They were dead after all.

 _I can never use that turn of phrase again..._

"J-James." Sirius was looking straight ahead, unwilling or unable to tear his gaze away, she couldn't tell. "What do you want to do?"

"...I-, I don't…"

"James."

Sarah's call struck the boy directly in the heart and her turned his head so quickly to face her she worried that he might have injured himself.

"Who are you looking for down there?" she asked softly.

His eyes widened behind his glasses. Next to him, Sirius stopped breathing before letting out a curse. "Fuck, Prongs. I'm sorry I forgot, is he-?"

"No." James interrupted his friend with a sharp retort and an even sharper look. He must have felt guilty for one or the other though because he was quick to wince before ducking his head in apology.

"I, I can't see him. If he'd been down there I'd have been able to see him by now. I mean, if he were hurt, right? Because, the healers are over to the south and he's not there, but he's not in the-"

 _The line-up of the dead. So that's the real reason you wanted to come,_ Sarah thought sadly to herself.

She didn't ask who they were talking about, it wasn't for her to know. Instead, she veered around Sirius to stand next to James and before he could ask her what she was doing, she'd wrapped her arms around him, embracing him in a hold both tight and not. It was a hug meant to support, to show that whatever he needed, she would happily provide.

She felt him shudder as a broken exhale wracked his body before, oh so slowly, his arms reached up to hold her as well.

"Whatever you need, James," she whispered. She felt him nod into her shoulder, but the boy didn't speak. They were joined when a presence that was becoming more and more familiar to her wrapped an arm around her while clasping a hand on James' shoulder.

"What she said, Prongs." She smiled weakly, taking comfort in Sirius and his warm presence.

Peter spoke up from his place on the floor. He still had made no attempt to stand, and Sarah couldn't say that she blamed him. "C-can we go now James? Please?"

"I agree," Remus spoke from where he was still supporting Jenelle. He looked as drawn as the rest of their group, but was proving to be a strong presence for her friend, which Sarah was immensely glad for. "There's no need to linger here."

James slowly pulled away from Sarah and Sirius, discreetly rubbing at his eyes to hide the tears that he had shed. She wouldn't mention that those tears were now staining the collar of her shirt.

"Yeah," he choked out, more put-together as he cleared his throat and shuffled in place. "Let's go."


	42. Chapter 42 - This Is How We Deal

CHAPTER 42 - This Is How We Deal

* * *

Jenelle was hiding in one of the Herbology greenhouses the next morning when Remus found her. She had been on her way to breakfast, moving out of habit than the actual need for food.

When the doors of the Great Hall came into view though, she was stopped in her tracks by a wave of nausea. She saw Sarah's swinging robes and the other arriving Gryffindors in her periphery as she stumbled behind a nearby statue to dry heave into an urn. She stayed behind the statue for a while longer while students passing by whispered gossipy tales under their breath.

So breakfast wasn't an option. She didn't want to go to the library, where she figured other traumatized students would be brooding after the night's events. The Slytherin common room was, uncomfortable. She'd avoided a stuttering Narcissa in the dorms with a polite smile and wave of her hand.

She wasn't sure where her fellow housemates fell on the "Dark-Lord-is-my-bestie" spectrum, so better to just be scarce for the time being.

She really just found herself in the greenhouse, without remembering how she had arrived there. There was a grey mist hanging over the scattered tables, drizzling a light rain over the limp, seemingly lifeless plants. Soggy brown vines hung over the edge of the tables and sprawled out on the wet stone floors. It looked like the castle was imparting its own sort of mourning in the wake of the attack.

Jenelle was standing in the far corner, soaking wet from the mist, working her wandless, non-verbal magic on a dead potted plant when she sensed she was being watched. She turned slowly, not at all surprised to see Remus standing near the doorway with water beginning to drip in heavy strands off the ends of his hair.

She looked at him blankly, not sure of what emotion to emote. _Best not to force anything inauthentic_ , she thought.

She turned back to her sad little flora, using a complicated pattern of hand gestures to try and spring the thing back to life. The edges of the pot would glow slightly, or the rain would temporarily part over the leaves, but the thing remained as deceased as ever. Growing frustrated, she lifted her right hand and sent the small pot flying off the table and crashing to the ground with a muted, shattering sound.

"Woah, hey. I think we've broken enough things in the greenhouses this year. Maybe we should ease up," Remus kept his eyes focused on her as he weaved through the tables towards the drenched blonde.

"You mean _I_ have broken enough things," Jenelle replied dryly. Remus' attempts to be light-hearted were welcome but Jenelle still wasn't sure if she wanted her heart lightened yet.

"That's not- I didn't mean it that way," Remus sighed. "I meant-"

"I _know_! I know what you meant, I'm just…" Jenelle felt herself growing hot with the familiar anger that often accompanied her darker emotions. "I'm not in the best mood right now, Remus. Can we do this another time?"

Remus shifted, pulling his hands out of his pockets and staring at her from a few yards away.

"I'm almost afraid there won't be another time. I've never seen you...like this." He seemed hardpressed to choose the right words.

Jenelle let out an emotionless chortle. "Heh, this side of me isn't very attractive. I'd understand if it puts you off. Sarah's the only one who seems to handle it without any fuss."

"Well that's only because you haven't shown it to me yet. I'm not intimidated Jenelle, or turned off if that's what you're thinking." Remus took a wary step forward. "Actually, the wandless magic is still pretty impressive, even if it's being used to toss things about."

Jenelle felt a smirk wanting to press its way onto her face, but steadfastly shooed away the thought. She shouldn't be feeling any sort of happiness.

 _People are dead. There are people who were alive twelve hours ago, and now they're not. This is no time for smiling._

"I feel like there's something you're not telling me," Remus said hesitantly.

"A lot of things," Jenelle declared honestly.

"Well, I haven't even had breakfast yet. Maybe start with just one for now?"

Jenelle sighed and pressed the wet strands of hair behind her ears. She could taste the bitter water, rich with nutrients, on her lips and was suddenly parched. Was she really going to divulge family secrets? Was this something against the code that Sarah and herself had agreed to when they arrived, sandy and confused, into 1976? She wasn't sure what was off limits any longer. They hadn't expected parties, disasters, relationship drama, or even her own curse acting up out of the blue.

Yet, she knew it was all on a timer. It wouldn't matter in the end. So what was the harm in unloading some heavy feelings on those willing to help carry the load?

 _Sarah can't be my only confidant forever, after all._

"It's um, it's just that kid. The one we saw from up in the Shack," she started, not looking him in the eyes.

"I remember," Remus said solemnly.

"I was thinking, how could someone be so hateful or so fearful that they believed even a child deserved to be on the receiving end of a killing curse."

Remus took a long, heavy breath. "I really don't know," he finally said.

"My brother is a squib," Jenelle spat out, feeling nauseous again with the release of the truth into the gray air.

"A _squib_? Really?" Remus said with eyes wide.

"Yeah. He's just a few years younger than me. My family wants to keep it a secret and they've managed to make excuses for his absence from Ilvermorny by blaming his health or saying he has special needs. But the truth is he has no magic. Never has, and everyone doubts he ever will."

Remus was quiet. He seemed to be taking the weight of her secret seriously, judging the severity in his mind and taking his time formulating the correct response. That waiting was infuriating to Jenelle, but she did her best to allow him the space to say what he wanted.

 _But damn it if I can't stand people censoring their initial response. It just seems like they're preparing to lie. Heh, and Sarah thinks she's the cynic._

"You think they murdered that child because he was a squib?" he finally asked.

"I think it's possible," she responded quietly.

"Hm," Remus took another couple of steps toward her and fiddled with some gardening tools on the table. "I mean, it could have been that. Or it was a wayward spell, or some other reason altogether. We're never going to know, and the saddest thing is I doubt his family will ever know either."

Jenelle felt an angry welling of tears in her eyes, mixing with the rainwater running down her face.

 _If that had been Z, if someone did that to him… I could kill them. I would be capable of breaking every promise to myself I've ever made and I would kill someone._

When she opened her eyes Remus was standing at her side, hand raised and ready to place on her shoulder but hesitating. He sighed again and tried to guide her eyes towards him.

"It wasn't him. I don't know where he is obviously, but I know it wasn't him last night."

Jenelle turned to him with a pained expression.

"B-But it could h-have been," she choked out.

He must have taken her broken walls as permission for touching, because he turned her towards him and wrapped his arms around her in a fierce hug. She dropped her head heavily on his shoulder and wrapped her arms under his, gripping to the heavy wet fabric of his robes and openly sobbing over his shoulder.

"Shh, hush now. He's alright, you're alright," Remus uttered in her ear, pressing down her hair in a long, flat plate. They stayed like that for a long while, until Jenelle had cried out every fear and insecurity bottled up inside her at the moment. She saw her brother's face, so open and kind and blissfully ignorant of the woes of the world, and tried to hold onto his own words in her head.

 _It's fine, Jen. It's fine. It's all fine._

* * *

The next morning was a mess of emotions for many of the students of Hogwarts.

Headmaster Dumbledore had started the day with another announcement, giving precious few details and not confirming exactly _who_ had led the attacks, but Peter and the others knew. They _knew_.

Three owls arrived after that, two for Hufflepuff, one for Gryffindor. People could do nothing but watch on in absolute pity as heart-wrenching sobs filled the air. Quiet gossiping was rampant as people speculated left and right about last night's attack over the rims of their pumpkin juice, wondering who the perpetrators were, how many died, if there was anyone captured.

Peter wanted to be sick.

James looked like he was going to be ill as well, torn between relief that his precious person had not been listed under those who had died and guilt that he had been so lucky. Sirius was doing what he did best by supporting his best mate and growling protectively whenever someone unwanted strayed too close. Remus was absent from the breakfast table, and Peter figured that he must have snuck off to see Monty again.

He still didn't know where he stood on Remus and Montagnard being together.

Sure, the blonde was kind-hearted and loyal and probably should have been sorted into Hufflepuff more than anything else, but she hadn't. She was a _Slytherin_ , and try as he might there were just some prejudices that he couldn't put aside after a lifetime of believing that word to be synonymous with pure evil. He knew that James and Sirius were struggling with the same issue.

James, he could understand, since the Potter family was historically a family firmly in the Light. They had always opposed anything that hinted of Dark magic, and being biased against Slytherins was just natural. Peter was pretty sure that attributed to the reason that James hated Snivellus the first day they'd met the sour-faced git. Although, the snake being best friends with Lily Evans certainly hadn't helped.

Peter was also pretty sure that James saw Montagnard as some kind of missorted anomaly, rather than simply a snake that defied expectation.

As for Sirius, well, his reasons for hating Slytherins and anything Dark was much more personal for the once heir-apparent, meaning that his reactions were also much more hair-trigger and intense.

The Marauders knew about his home life, knew how his mother had used _crucio_ on her own child when he returned home for Yule his first year. They knew that his father had done nothing to defend his eldest son, turning his back on Sirius and never again looking him in the eye.

They knew that Gryffindor was Sirius' saving grace, and that their friend clung to everything the House of the Lion stood for with a kind of desperation that only those who were seeking to prove themselves could do. Sirius balked at even the slightest hint of Dark Magic, so afraid that people would question whether he really had a place among them.

Remus speculated once that the reason Sirius was especially cruel with his pranks on Slytherins was to prove to himself and to others that he truly had no ties with the Black name and didn't _want_ any for that matter. Peter was surprised that the Sirius was actually suffering Monty's continued presence as much as he had, but figured it was because he was dating the girl that unashamedly declared the blonde her best friend.

Understandably though, Sirius was much less tolerant when it came to Waterbrooke's _other_ Slytherin acquaintances.

Even with the mood being as sobering as it was this morning, Peter watched from his place across the Gryffindor table as dark-haired Padfoot stabbed at his peas in poorly hidden annoyance. Sirius' eyes were glued to the Slytherin table, where Sarah had dropped by quickly to say hello to Snivellus of all people.

Peter couldn't understand _why_ both American girls seemed drawn to the pasty, foul-tempered boy, but it certainly wasn't doing any favors for Sirius' and Waterbrooke's new relationship.

"Padfoot, _please_ don't start anything, not today," Peter's voice shook, he rarely ever spoke out against his friends, and _never_ when it came to their weekly dose of Snivellus-hunting, but he still had a debt to Waterbrooke and he knew that Sirius jumping up right now to drag his girlfriend away from Snape would not put the other Marauder in her good books.

Sirius snarled under his breath, tearing his eyes away from the far table to forcibly concentrate on finishing his meal, what was left of it at least. It looked less like actual food and more like a green pile of mash by this point.

"Little greasy-haired bastard, who the hell does he think is, chatting with Waterlily like he actually thinks they're on the same level? We've been too _lax_ with Snivellus lately." Sirius looked to James for support, but Prongs was oddly silent as he fiddled with his leftover scrambled eggs.

Sirius shut up immediately, recognizing that now was not the time. Peter breathed a sigh of relief at that; starting something the day after people had _died_ was just unsavory, even if it was aimed at someone as deserving as Snape.

Luckily for the continued peace, Sarah chose that moment exactly to wander back over to their table. She walked until she stood directly behind Sirius and James and made a parting motion with her hands. They shuffled to make space for her and she took her seat between the two, making herself comfortable.

Sirius didn't hesitate to move back in until he was practically in her breathing space, shooting warning glares over Peter's head the whole time. Sarah didn't notice, too involved with eating her bread roll with the enthusiasm of an Azkaban inmate.

Almost a whole minute passed before Sirius opened his mouth; Peter was surprised he'd even lasted _that_ long.

"So how was your chat with dear old Snivellus?"

Peter mused that he'd never heard Sirius sound quite that sulky before.

Sarah snorted. "Depressing, what do you expect with what happened yesterday? And don't call him that, it's rude." She looked completely unwilling to cater to her boyfriend's moodiness and was instead doing her best to ignore it completely. Unfortunately for her, she underestimated just how _petty_ Padfoot could be when he got worked up.

Indeed, Sirius did not look appeased by her response at all, evidenced by his scowl. "Why'd you even waste your _time_ with that slimeball, love? I don't know what sort of bull Monty's been spewing at you about her new friends, but _Snape_ is only barely worth the effort it takes to curse him."

She finally looked away from her food to fix a burning glare on Pads. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," she hissed between clenched teeth, "because I'd rather not embarrass myself in front of the entire school and shame the people who lost someone last night by smacking you like you deserve."

She stood up, leaving the half-finished bread behind and muttering something about picking up her text for class before walking away in a flurry of robes. Sirius was quick to shoot up after her, just a few paces behind and radiating displeasure.

Peter sighed. Merlin above, that was one tumultuous couple. He was pretty sure he'd seen cats and dogs that got into fewer arguments than Sirius and Sarah, and they'd barely been dating for a few weeks!

James shot a look at Peter, and they both shook their heads at the hopeless case. With any luck, things would be good by the time first period rolled around.


	43. Chapter 43 - Telltale Tension

CHAPTER 43 - Telltale Tension

**Due to its invaluable role in protecting Dumbledore's Army, preceding the Battle of Hogwarts, The Room of Requirement was no longer a Hogwarts School secret. In fact, it became a source of great interest to students of magic around the world who sought secrets within the walls of their own schools. As such, Sarah and Jenelle had spent no time at all finding the infamous changing room and using it as their personal getaway, under the protection of Headmaster Dumbledore himself, naturally.**

* * *

"Sarah! I could really use your help here!"

"Mm-hmm."

"SARAH!"

"I'm like, two sips away from finishing my tea! Can't you handle it?"

"GUAH! It's not- OUCH!"

Sarah sat on the tatami floor of the beautiful fabricated tea house in the Room of Requirement. She was sat at a low table decorated with the finest tea sets, using an exceptionally beautiful _uwade kyusu_ teapot with a twisted bamboo handle and indigo motif under a high-gloss glaze. It was arranged with matching teacups that had adorable little clay lids to keep all of her different teas at the perfect tasting temperature.

Sarah really liked tea.

All she had wanted was an afternoon to sit in quiet meditation, with her teas she missed very much, in a darling little yukata and long pins dripping with paper flowers dangling from her hair.

 _Is that really so much to ask?_

There was a loud crash outside the sliding shoji doors of the tea house. Actually, there had been a few loud crashes, but after years of listening to Jenelle's dueling spars Sarah was pretty used to them and knew when they were the kind that indicated progress or misfortune.

They were starting to get into the misfortune category.

"For the love of Moll Dyer, I will come in there and- OMPH!" Jenelle grunted from somewhere outside, "IWILLBREAKEVERYTHINGYOULOVE COMEHELPME!"

 _Well, someone's in a grumpy mood today. Not like I can concentrate in this sort of environment anyhow, ugh._

Gently settling her delicious cup of oolong back on the table, Sarah took a deep sigh and gracefully rose from her seiza stance. Shuffling her feet toward the sliding door, she reached into her right sleeve for Thorin, which was nestled in the bottom crook of the fabric. As she slid the door to the side her eyes flashed open and she quickly spun away from a wayward _reducto_ spell that zoomed by her, hitting the far wall of the tea house with a fiery crash and lighting the wall ablaze.

Scoffing in amazement (and irked disbelief), Sarah lifted her wand to the fire and used an _aguamenti_ charm until it was sufficiently doused. Unfortunately, so was most of the floor, furnishings, and scrolls of calligraphy that hung from the little shrine.

She turned back toward the door and saw Jenelle in a fierce battle with a bewitched chest of drawers. It was a pretty big one, to be sure, and Sarah noticed more than half of the drawers were missing and guessed that was what had lead to the crashing noises earlier. The mahogany chest was walking around, twisting the bottom legs back and forth across the floor and seeming to look for its target.

Namely, the cowering Jenelle who was squatting behind a huge stone pillar a few yards away.

The temporary Slytherin was holding her wand to her lips like she could whisper more impressive power into the wood. Or perhaps she was reasoning with its core; she had been known to do that from time-to-time Sarah noticed. Jenelle had never named her wand like Sarah had named Thorin, but Sarah had never thought to ask why. Many Ilvermorny students did.

"AH!" Jenelle yelled, as the dresser finally noticed her by the hem of her long dress sticking out from behind the pillar. A smaller jewelry drawer had shot out and smashed into the stone beside her head, giving her quite a fright. Sarah stood with arms crossed, tapping Thorin on her arm, trying to stifle her laughter at the scene.

"You know," she shouted across the wide practice area outside the tea house, "you always enchant them too strong for a mere dueling practice."

She was shot a very unbecoming glance and a crude hand gesture as Jenelle stood and came around the opposite side of the pillar. She thrust out her wand in a softball pitch and wordlessly cast _levicorpus_. The spell hit the dresser from the back and lifted it high into the air.

It spun around, twisting it's clapboard frame like it was flailing above the ground. Sarah saw Jenelle holding her wand with both hands, trying to keep the spell under control. Her long hair was tied back in a high ponytail and there were little blonde wisps plastered to her sweaty brow. She had ditched her Slytherin robes once they had entered the room and had donned a dress in Ilvermorny school colors.

 _Ah Jen, you've always been the more sentimental one._

"Sarah! Watch out!"

Lost in thought for a brief moment, Sarah almost didn't see the wide middle drawer from the dresser flying through the air toward her. She lifted Thorin in a diagonal arch in front of her, casting the empty wooden piece aside with a wordless defensive charm. It crashed into a nearby pillar and splintered on the floor.

Turning back she saw Jenelle swinging her wand in a big circle, bringing it down in front of her, planted between her hands like she was praying with incense at an alter. Then she flattened her hands and threw out her wand arm at the floating dresser. A huge gold spark (Sarah guessed a wordless _collabatura_ ) shot out and the dresser was enveloped in a rippling gold forcefield.

Jenelle kept her eye on her spell and slowly twisted her wand hand, then retracted it quickly to her side. As she pulled back, the gold balloon imploded and crushed the dresser with a barrage of splintering cracks and pops. The remaining pieces fell lifelessly to the floor and disappeared after a few moments, all traces of their dusty essence fading away.

"Ohhh, I liked that one. Brava!" Sarah applauded. She tapped the palm of her wand hand in a golf clap and slowly stepped down the stairs of the raised tea house and walked over to her friend, slumped against a pillar.

Jenelle's wand was hanging limp in her hand and her other arm was nestled on her hip as she caught her breath. "Thanks...for the help," she panted.

"I literally didn't do anything. You could have finished it off yourself."

"Maybe I just need an audience to do it correctly."

"What you NEED is some damn confidence. You'd be more than my equal if you'd just trust yourself a bit more."

Jenelle smiled and ran her hand over her head, wiping the sweat away. "Heh, thanks. Sorry about the tea house." She grimaced upon seeing the dripping and smoldering edges of the beautiful tea house behind Sarah.

"It's your loss. Now your tea is cold." Sarah shrugged and put Thorin back into the sleeve of her yukata.

Jenelle slumped to the ground and placed her arms on her bent knees. Her wand was twisting in her hand, like a quill when studying. She had a furrowed brow and Sarah scooted down to look her friend in the eye.

"It's hard enough to practice for things we should be learning at Ilvermorny during our OWN era. Doing it in this time, my head's all fuzzy and I can't concentrate."

Sarah smirked. " _Oh hoh_ , having trouble concentrating, are we? You sure it's not due to someONE instead of someTIME? Perhaps a handsome, fair-haired boy with intriguing scars and a charming demeanor? Hmmmm?" Sarah's new favorite pastime was making Jenelle squeamish about her crush.

Right on cue Jenelle turned a beet red low in her cheeks and shifted where she sat. "It's not that."

"Of course it's that," Sarah insisted. She saw Jenelle's eyes grow dark for a moment, never a good sign. It was bad for her to get too lost in thought. It took ages to get her back to the present.

"...Oooor not? Hey, sorry, what is it?" Sarah asked gently.

"I was just...you know, we're going to have to leave here. Sooner, rather than later if Dumbledore can find a way. That means never coming back, never speaking with any of them ever again." She bit her lip as she spoke. "And knowing what happens to them when they're grown, I ju-"

"Stop. You can't do that. There's no use dwelling on a future we can't, _and shouldn't_ , change. It's going to suck, for sure, but if you're that worried about it maybe you should break things off before they get too serious?" She didn't really believe the words coming out of her mouth, but she knew if she said them Jenelle would hear the alternative out loud and would dismiss it as an option.

Sarah had had plenty of time to understand how Jenelle's mind worked.

"What? No! No, I don't want to end it. I just feel...sad? Disappointed? I'm not sure." She trailed off and pushed her wand into the breast strap of her dress, making disgruntled noises.

Sarah considered this for a moment and then nodded definitely. "Well, then I guess the only thing you can do is enjoy the time you have. You're only going to get this one chance, so you might as well make the most of it." She stood and glanced around the room, seeing a heavy looking armchair upholstered in deep red velvet and pointed an arm out towards it. Closing her eyes, she focused on a simple, wandless levitation charm that pulled the chair toward them where it sat with a light tap in front of Jenelle.

"But, you can do that later," she continued. "You've got training now. No use in having a wand like yours and wasting it on potions and astrology."

"You're one to talk, 'Type-Two Wand Ceremony' girl," Jenelle grumbled.

"And remember," Sarah continued as if Jenelle hadn't said anything, "we're going to be Aurors together! Time for productive pain! I'll go make us some more tea. Don't forget, we're meeting the boys for more practice tonight."

Sarah spun around and hummed a sing-song tune in perfect pitch as she walked back toward the tea house. She heard Jenelle stand and the fizzle of a spell working it's magic on the inanimate chair until she could hear the legs begin to canter around the room. She stepped up back into the tea house as Jenelle's grunts and gasps filled the silence of the space.

 _She's right though. We'll have to pretend it all never happened. It will be like a dream that only we can recall._

She frowned and looked down at her stocking feet on the tatami floor.

 _I was never that good at remembering dreams._

 _If I have to...I mean I know I have to. So, when I say goodbye to him, is that really going to be it?_

 _Maybe I should try following my own advice._


	44. Chapter 44 - Ceasefire vs Peace

CHAPTER 44 - Ceasefire vs. Peace

* * *

Sarah didn't _want_ to practice an Isolt-damned Cheering Charm!

Professor Flitwick must have been off his damn rocker, because deciding to spend an entire class reviewing this old spell was absolutely stupid in her opinion. She knew the kind-hearted old man was just trying to lessen the burden on everyone's hearts in his own way and on any other day she would have appreciated that, but right now she was just too pissed to appreciate the gesture.

Sirius had been an unnecessary jerk and she had felt completely justified leaving his pissy self at the breakfast table yesterday. Too bad he'd seen fit to follow her, pull her into a broom closet, and then have the gall to demand that she stop speaking to Snape.

She really had cursed him then, hitting him with a faceful of water via _aguamenti_ and leaving him sputtering on the ground as she stormed out and slammed the door behind her.

 _How dare he? How dare he actually try and tell her who she could and couldn't talk to! Who does he think he is?_

 _Your new boyfriend, idiot. And your current charms partner to boot._ Sarah snarled, hating the inner voice that was far too unsympathetic for her liking.

Across from her, Sirius looked to be in a similar mutinous state. He seemed unable to decide if he'd rather bother Flitwick for a change in partners or not, seeing as that would leave her to potentially ask Snape to be her new practice buddy. She'd do it too, just to be spiteful, and he must have come to the same conclusion because he kept his mouth shut.

Instead he exhaled a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his stupid perfect hair that just fell right back into his stupid pretty face and Sarah _really_ wanted to try drowning him again.

Getting tired of waiting for him to make a move and just wanting today to be _over_ with, she raised Thorin to point at her infuriating boyfriend, speaking the incantation to maximize its effects; maybe if she was lucky he'd laugh so hard he'd piss himself.

" _Sensum hilarem!_ "

She was disappointed when her spell hit point blank, only to be met with not so much as a chuckle.

Then Flitwick came over, tutting the whole while. "Miss Waterbrooke," he chided, and she felt herself squirm involuntarily. "Surely you remember that a Cheering Charm is powered by intent, and that the caster must _want_ for the recipient to feel cheer in order for the charm to have any effect."

"Yes Professor," she barely managed a polite smile.

Flitwick must have thought she was upset over last night and not by the person across from her, as he only smiled sadly and patted her shoulder before moving away to help another struggling pair. She sighed, trying to clear her mind of all her frustrations, but it was tough-going; she had never been good at meditation, nor anything that required a quiet mind.

"Err, Sarah?"

Her eyes snapped open to see Sirius standing too close for comfort. He had his hands stuffed in his robes, giving off a nonchalant air as he looked anywhere but at her. She frowned but kept her tone level. "Hmm?"

There was the smallest hint of a wince before his features smoothed back into unaffected. He gave a small shrug. "Would you like some help with casting?"

She stared him down. "It's not the casting that's the problem, Black."

"Ah." A moment of awkward silence. She was determined to not be the one to break it. He was in the wrong and she knew it and she would _not_ be the first to capitulate!

Her patience paid off when he finally rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and deigning to look at her. Well, for a split second, then his gaze shifted to the floor.

"..."

"What was that?"

"... _ry_."

She couldn't help but feel the slightest bit amused. He looked like a scolded puppy being told to give up his favorite toy. "One more time, Black."

"...I'm _sorry_."

 _Yeesh_ , that sounded like it'd hurt. Still, she'd give him credit. He really didn't seem the type to ever apologize, so she supposed she could play nice.

"Apology accepted," her voice turned stern. "But don't you _ever_ tell me who I can and can't talk to again, got it?"

He looked like he wanted to argue but eventually backed down with a huff. " _Fine_ ," he stressed, moving closer so that he stood behind her, pretending to her guide her arm in the necessary wand movements. He spoke quietly in her ear, keeping his tone conversational to avoid having people look their way.

"I expect a reward for any future good behavior though," he said quietly.

She bit back a smile. She really shouldn't be as entertained as she was, the guy _had_ just acted like a controlling moron, but she couldn't help it. "You're gonna have to convince me you deserve a reward."

His grasp where he guided her movements changed as his fingers stroked her wrist gently. "Aw, come on Waterlily," he pouted, "don't make me beg. I'm too handsome for begging, it ruins my complexion you see."

She shook him off, finally laughing. He seemed inordinately pleased with himself at the sound. She turned to push him back towards his starting position. "Get your rear in gear and move, Black. We've got Cheering Charms to practice."

He threw a wink at her over his shoulder as he walked away. "Yes Ma'am."

She was still irked about this morning, and they _would_ be having a talk about it once they were somewhere less public, but for now her heart was lighter, and she let herself be lost in the Cheering Charm and its uplifting effects.

* * *

Lucius,

There are many things that must be discussed, so I shall start with the most important one. Do NOT, and I will repeat again, DO NOT make any kind of breakaway from Narcissa Black. It is imperative that we do not give insult to one of the oldest and most powerful pure-blooded families in Magical Britain, especially over something that might not even prove beneficial for our house.

That being said; YOU FOOLISH BOY! Yes, the girl you seem so fascinated with could be the daughter of a Colonial plantation KING, but you still should have kept your interests at bay until you received further instructions from me. Instead, I have no doubt that you have already made a mess of things in one unfortunate way or another regarding your new paramour. And yes, you imbecilic dolt, I do not have to be at Hogwarts to know that you have assuredly made advances toward this unknown foreigner. Your presumptuous attitude thinking that you could lecture me about advantageous prospects for the betterment of our family only proves that you still have far to go before you will make a worthy Head of the Malfoy House.

The Yellowbanks family motto, _Iustitia Ante Omnia_ , translates as 'Justice Before All Else.' They hold the dubious reputation of being truly neutral, in that they uphold the law, or their interpretation of it, before all other creeds and oaths. A Yellowbanks that is seduced by politics, bribery, or emotional entreaties is a rare thing. Their moral code is unshakable, but should they be properly swayed to believe that a cause is true, then they have been known to reinvent entire courses of history.

A member of that House would certainly bring honor and power to the Malfoy family, but I am still loath to put any sort of trust into your girl. Our informants have turned up no mention of a seventeen-year-old female by the name of Sarah. There exists the fact that the current eldest son of the Head has at least one daughter, but with Arbitus Yellowbanks III being constantly on the move such claims are difficult to validate.

My conclusion is this: you will _cease_ perusing this unknown Ilvermorny element and anything associated with her. You _will_ continue with your current engagement with Narcissa Black. You will not let slip any indication that you entertained the thought of straying from your current intended and jeopardized years of negotiations with the Black family.

Until I have learned more of this 'Sarah Yellowbanks' you are to STAY AWAY from her. The Dark Lord is always looking for ways to expand his base of power, and should the future bear fruit, the resulting rewards would be immeasurable. Should you botch things up though, my own wrath will be the least of your worries.

Abraxas Malfoy

 _Sanctimonia Vincet Semper_

The parchment in Lucius' hands trembled with the force of his rage. He was standing in the middle of the Owlery where all and sundry could find him and see his loss of composure but for once, he couldn't bring himself to care.

Even after all this time, his father still did not trust him and his decisions. All his life he had done _everything_ the man had asked of him: he had followed orders when his parents arranged his tentative engagement to Narcissa, smiled at that bitch Walburga Black as she fawned over his looks and prestige, maintained his grades and his flawless cultured persona, yet _still-_

 _Damn him! What does he know?!_

He knew his thoughts were almost sacrilegious in pure-blooded society, but he couldn't feel anything but contempt right now. His father had not only insinuated him a foolish, impulsive child but worse he had all but dismissed Sarah, his _Thunderbird_! How could the man not see the opportunities she represented for the family; for Lucius!

He wondered if his day could possibly get any worse, then immediately regretted the thought as the door to the owlery swung open. To his mounting stress, the person who entered was the very girl he both desired to see and couldn't stand to see right now.

She seemed just as surprised to see him as she stepped through the doorway. She didn't seem to have any parchment in her hand, and it irritated him; why was she even here in the first place?

"...Lucius." She gave him a dip of the head in acknowledgment, and he returned it reflexively, saying nothing. There was a tense pause, each waiting for the other to make a move. She shifted, turning to leave. "I'll, umm, just come back later."

He launched himself forward, leaning over her to slam the door shut and trap her between his arms, her back pressed against the wood. She instantly had her wand out, aiming it threateningly at his chest.

"What the hell, Malfoy?" She demanded, looking up at him in defiance. But he was still so _angry_ , uncommonly drowning in his emotions and unable to keep his head above water, he couldn't help the words that escaped his mouth in a dangerous hiss.

"What is going on between you and that blood-traitor Black?"

She drew back as much as she could, her eyes widened to the point that he could see their color more clearly. They were not onyx as he had always assumed; rather, they were a lighter shade of brown. Strange, he always considered brown eyes to be so plain, so why did hers lure him rather than repulse?

"W-what makes you think it's any of your business?" she said hotly, the point of her wand now digging into his sternum. He ignored it, too focused on getting the answers he wanted.

He leaned his head closer, trying for intimidation. "Do not play games, little Thunderbird, you're not nearly as good at it as you should be. I've seen the way you two interact recently, _everyone has_."

"Back off Malfoy, I'm not going to warn you again!"

"Has that filthy bastard touched you?!"

He slammed a fist near her head, uncaring that she jumped in fright. Her wand flashed with light and he felt himself lock into place as the nonverbal body-bind spell took effect, cursing up a storm in his head but unable to stop her as Sarah ducked under his frozen arms. His inner diatribe abruptly cut off though when he noticed that she had stopped moving, her gaze fixed on his hand.

The hand, which still held the missive from his father.

"Why is my name mentioned in that?" Her voice was cold as ice.

He tried to pull away, wanting to burn the piece of trash in his hand with a quick _incindio_ , but he could only watch with something akin to horror as she gently worked the paper from his grasp, scanning its contents in the blink of an eye.

As soon as he felt her spell wearing off he tore the letter from her hands, ripping it to shreds and setting fire to its blasted remains to the screeching of dozens of displeased owls, but the damage was done. She was looking at him now, her face blank but her eyes ablaze with emotions he couldn't name. He opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it.

"Sirius asked me to be his girlfriend. I said yes."

His fists clenched as pure, acidic, _envy_ burned inside him.

"Listen to your father," she continued flatly, eyes now focused on the smoldering remains of the letter at their feet. "Better yet, tell him to call off the search. There isn't anything nor is there going to _be_ anything between us, so he should just stop wasting his time and yours."

"Black may be entertaining himself by dating you for now, but it won't last."

His words were laced with spite and he could see how it shook her. He continued without mercy, wanting to cause as much pain and doubt as he possibly could.

"Sooner or later he will shatter your heart just as he has done to the countless other girls he has been with. He will leave you broken and in tears without a single care except for his next conquest."

She was the one with her hands clenched now, her small frame trembling slightly as she tried to control her own searing anger.

It utterly delighted him.

"I may not be able to pursue you as I desire, but at least I have never played with your heart like he will," Lucius crooned, stepping closer towards her. She retreated, raising her wand back up and at him, but he persisted. "He will make you believe he loves you, that you love him in return, but it will be nothing more than an illusion."

The sound of ruffling feathers and hooting owls was almost as hypnotic as the expression of doubt building on her lovely face. He reached out one hand to stroke her cheek, then he went in for the kill.

"He will take everything from you, and leave you with nothing but regret."

He watched as her heart was crushed under the weight of his honesty. The tear that landed gently on his hand was more beautiful than any diamond in the Malfoy vaults.

He leaned forward, his breath ghosting over her lips as he moved to claim them for his own, but somehow she mustered up the strength to push him away furiously, dashing away the wetness in her eyes with a sleeve.

When she was more composed she finally looked up at him again. "I hate you," she said simply.

"I know you do, darling."

"We are _never_ getting together."

"So you say."

"He wouldn't do that to me."

"He will. It is written in his very nature, Thunderbird."

She bit her lip, a habit he found enticing. He idly wondered if Black thought the same.

He pushed. "The questions remains; what will you do, Sarah? Will you weep? Will you pine after him in nostalgic wishery as so many other vapid girls do?"

Her eyes flashed. "Hell no," she growled out, and he felt so proud of her.

"Will you let him come crawling back to you then? Open your arms and forgive him when his head is hung low and he promises to never stray again?" She hesitated, and irritation rolled within him.

"I see," he spat "I expected more from you, little Thunderbird. A woman such as you should have a better understanding of her worth."

She must have decided that she was tired of defending herself, for she brushed past him and towards the door. "It's not your problem, Malfoy."

Her hand was resting against the stone archway as she paused to throw him one last stare. The light of the midday sun broke into a thousand shards upon her features and for a moment he thought he could see golden, crackling lightning surrounding her. Almost like a set of massive wings.

"But just so you know? If Black ever did hurt me, he'd best be prepared for all hell to rain down on his head. And I wouldn't have to lift a finger, because Jenelle would tear him to pieces first. Keep that in mind for your future as well."

She walked away from him again, leaving him aching and frustrated and _wanting_.


	45. Chapter 45 - Innocent Insecurity

CHAPTER 45 - Innocent Insecurity

* * *

He was surrounded on all sides by admirers, a star in the limelight, the center of attention; like there was no one else he could possibly be.

Sarah watched from the covered walkway as Sirius smiled and joked, free as a bird. Girls hung on his every word and guys looked on in admiration or envy. Something someone said must have been especially hilarious because he tipped his head back in a laugh that seemed to highlight everything that was perfect about him.

Her conversation with Lucius still shook her to her soul, despite telling herself that he only spoke out of his need to hurt her. Yet she couldn't get his words out of her head and the doubts that plagued her hung like heavy iron chains around her neck.

 _He wouldn't._

Sirius used a knuckle to gently knock up the chin of a brunette beauty, causing her to blush.

 _Does it matter? You're leaving soon._

A blonde Ravenclaw shouldered the other girl away to bat her eyes suggestively at him. Sirius raised an eyebrow but still smirked in indulgence, letting her slide up right next to him.

 _It matters though. It matters and you know it._

Her other voice didn't have a comeback for that, falling silent.

"It's disgusting, isn't it?"

She gave a small ' _eek_ ' of surprise, spinning around to see Severus standing right behind her. He looked amused at her reaction, but it was quickly replaced with abhorrence as his gaze moved back to the spectacle in front of them.

"So, how does it feel to have caught the attention of Hogwarts' most sought-after bachelor? Well, for however long it lasts," he spat out.

She answered after a moment's hesitation. "...Terrible."

Severus swung his head to look at her, eyes blown wide in shock. "W-what?" he sputtered. Obviously, he hadn't expected that but she needed someone to talk to at the moment and she still couldn't find Jenelle.

Severus was a new friend, but there was something very familiar about the way he hated Sirius (and people in general). She knew that kind of hate, the kind that lashed out at everything because you believed that everyone was out to get you. She needed that understanding right now.

"Look at him, Sev. Where do I belong in that?"

The Slytherin scoffed, crossing his arms. "I didn't take you for a self-pitying coward Waterbrooke," he sneered. Sarah could only laugh, throwing him off again. "What in Merlin's name is wrong with you, woman?"

"Nothing, and everything I guess." She smiled at him, watching as he slowly turned red. "Hey, if I end up in a puddle of tears one day, would you ever consider poisoning someone on the down-low for me?"

He chuckled, covering his smile with a hand. "You're insane, Waterbrooke."

"I think everyone needs a bit of insanity. It makes things interesting."

"Hmm." There was a much more content silence after that. She hadn't shared the real reason for her current brood-fest and thankfully he hadn't really asked. But she felt a little better, and she was positive he knew that as well.

"So when do you think you and Lily can meet me and Jenelle at the lake for another study sesh?" It had been ages since they had first met at the lake. It had been a sunny, sweet afternoon away from the prying eyes of their respective classmates and something Sarah really cherished. Severus had been so at ease then, and Jenelle too from what she remembered. Lily had been her same ol' self, unperturbed by the opinions of others which was something Sarah loved about her. They had tried to meet up again since then but obviously, drama ensued.

 _Much drama. Most high school._

"Must we? Suffering through your ineffable personality aside, it is the beginning of November and I, for one, would rather not freeze my arse off."

"Guess we'll have to find a classroom with a fireplace to keep us nice and toasty then. Mmm, marshmallows..."

"Your train of thought must have about fifty different junction changes."

"But it'd be an amazing ride, don't you think?"

" _Am I interrupting something here?"_

Sarah froze as Severus reflexively went for his wand, pulling it out of his pocket to point at Sirius. The crowd must have departed while they had been talking, leaving the outside courtyard empty except for the three of them. Sirius had his wand drawn as well and leveled at Snape, a dangerous look in his eye.

"I thought I told you to stay away from my girlfriend, _Snivellus,_ " the taller of the two threatened. Next to her, Sarah heard Severus snort.

"You're a paranoid control-freak Black, it's a wonder that Wat- _Sarah_ even puts up with you. Does she know about the little chat we had after breakfast, hmm?"

She trained a glare on her now fidgeting boyfriend. "What the hell did you do?" she hissed.

"Nothing!" he shot back, "just a bit of fun, is all."

"Oh yes," Severus agreed silky, his face whitening in anger, "you and your merry band of cravens always have gotten a kick out of teaming up four to one against a better opponent."

"Sirius!"

"Shut your mouth, Snivellus!" Sirius roared, shooting a ruby-colored hex at the Slytherin boy. Snape responding quickly with a flash of white, leaving a wide gash in the cloth of Sirius' robes.

"Severus, stop!" Sarah screamed, drawing her own wand. "Both of you!"

"Move out of the way, Waterlily!"

"It's time I ended you for good, Black!"

A white _protego_ sprung up between the three of them, causing everyone to blink away the light and turn to look for the source of the spell. They didn't have to search for long because not ten feet away stood a livid Professor McGonagall.

"Mr. Black, Mr. Snape!" She barked out, and immediately all wands were lowered. "Just what in Gaia's green grass are you two doing?"

"Well?" she demanded when neither of the sullen boys answered. Huffing, she turned to pin Sarah with a look. "Miss Waterbrooke? Care to explain what just happened?"

 _Oh shit._

"Uhh, uh, role, play?"

She flinched when three incredulous gazes landed on her. "I MEAN," she shouted before dialing back her volume, "we're, uh _practicing_! For a play! Gotta get that super dramatic part down, and wow they really nailed it, don't you think Professor? Even I thought they were about to hex the crap out of each other and I gotta say I don't think I've ever seen such an amazing perfor-"

"Detention," McGonagall said flatly. "Missers Black and Snape for unauthorized dueling on school grounds, and _you_ Miss Waterbrooke, for the most flimsy excuse I have ever heard in my life."

"Ahahaha," Sarah sighed defeated. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Get back inside, all of you. And twenty points from Gryffindor and Slytherin each."

"Aww but Prof,-"

"I will make it forty Mister Black."

"Shutting up, Madam."

McGonagall swept away, leaving all three of them in an awkward situation. Sarah decided to take care of that by socking _both_ of the idiot boys in the ribs.

Snape let out a wheeze, doubling over but remaining standing to glare at her through a curtain of lank hair. "Mother of magic, Waterbrooke!"

Sirius was in a similar, yet worsened state, as she had hit him a bit harder. " _Why_ , love?" he wailed from his place kneeling on the ground and clutching his torso.

"That is for being idiots in your own ways and getting all of us detention!" She didn't feel a shred of pity. "Sirius, we _just_ finished talking about your ridiculous issues, and now Severus tells me that you all _jumped_ him? What is wrong with you!?"

"And you!" she spun to face a once-but-no-longer smirking Snape. "Idiot or not, Sirius is _my_ boyfriend so if anyone is gonna curse him for doing stupid stuff it's going to be me!"

"Hey!"

"Shut up, Sirius."

She rubbed her forehead, wishing with all her might that Jenelle was with her right now.

"Look, you two have bad blood between you? Fine. I can't make you guys into friendship-bracelet-wearing besties and frankly, I'd be suicidal to try." She got a perverted sense of pleasure from seeing both boys gag in horror at her words.

"But Sirius, as long as we are dating you do _not_ attack my friends or I will break up with you quicker than greased lightning, got it? And Severus, I know you hate his guts, and I'm not going to ask you hang out with me if Sirius is there, but," she hesitated, unsure of her next request. "Well, just promise we'll still have some time together, please?"

Snape sneered at her and left in a flourish, but she still smiled. He hadn't said no.

She was about to turn and deal with her personal nuisance when she felt arms wrap around her from behind, trapping her with no chance to escape.

"You cruisin' for another bruisin' because I will happily-"

" _Don't_." The severity in his tone stopped her cold as his embrace tightened. His head was now resting on her shoulder, and she had no idea what was going on.

"Sirius?"

"Don't. Don't threaten to break up with me again. I'm sorry, I won't attack Sniv- _Snape_ in front of you again, just _please_." His voice was more fragile than she'd ever heard it, and she slowly lifted a hand to pat gently at his arm.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have said that. I just, I just didn't want you two fighting anymore. Severus Snape is _only_ a friend, Sirius. You _know_ that. _Everyone_ knows that he likes Lily."

"I know, I just," he exhaled harshly, and she shivered slightly at the sensation. He laughed gently, his lips pressing a gentle kiss to her neck. "Sirius!"

"I just don't want him near you, Sarah," he confessed, causing her neck to burn in embarrassment. "I don't want _any_ bloke near you. Is that so much to ask for?"

She harrumphed, turning away from his face. "Yeah well, talk's cheap when _you're_ the one practically drowning in a sea of panties, Black." She immediately smacked a hand over her mouth in horror, but the damage was done.

Sirius was cackling with laughter now, spinning her so that they were chest to chest. She buried her face in his shirt, wanting the earth to just open up and swallow her whole, but unfortunately she wasn't the Avatar or an earthbender, so the ground remained cursedly flat.

"Sarah, _Sarah_ , aww come on love, let me see that pretty face of yours?"

"Eat flobberworms and choke."

He was still grinning as he finally wrangled her face from his chest, leaning down to give her a heart-stopping kiss. She melted only somewhat unwillingly into it, standing as tall as she could on her toes to close the distance between their lips.

When they parted he cupped her face with his hand, looking down gently at her. "Quite a pair, aren't we, love? We haven't even had an official date yet and already we've had _how_ many fights?"

"What, the Harvest Ball didn't do it for you?"

"Nah, that kind of thing is way too stuffy to have any fun. Now, my _birthday_ that's coming up-"

" _It's your birthday soon!?_ "

He blinked before a look of sheepishness came over him. "Err," he mussed with his hair as a delaying tactic. "Sorry, Waterlily, did I not mention that? It's the third you see..."

"I'm going to murder you!"

She still had a lot of issues to work out regarding her unsettling lack of trust with Sirius, but that was something that could be improved day by day. When Sirius looked down at her with so much happiness in his eyes, grabbing at her wrists to stop her swats only to lean in for another kiss, she could at least trust that there was genuine care between them, if nothing else.


	46. Chapter 46 - Flowers Bloom Soon

CHAPTER 46 - Petals and Plans

* * *

Jenelle was walking aimlessly through the library. It was becoming one of her favorite places in the castle (besides the Room of Requirement, of course). She loved the old musty smell of the leather bound pages and the way the sunshine fell in elongated parallelograms across the floor.

She would find a quiet and secluded corner to sit down with some old text that had fallen into obscurity. She would run her hands lightly over the pages, giving it the delicate and loving attention one gives to a childhood toy.

Today she was walking at a slow pace, grazing her fingers over the spines of novels in the fiction section. It was a free period, and she knew that most students wouldn't come to the library when they could be outside on this rare, sunshiny autumn day. A few windows had been propped open and she could hear the laughing and shouting of voices far below on the grounds. The occasional breeze that fluttered through the aisle was cool and made the skin on her arms tingle and rise in little bumps.

As she rounded the end of the aisle and started down another row she smelled something sweet. She stopped and dropped her hands, looking around curiously.

She stooped down and looked along the floor for a fallen tart or broken bottle of perfume.

 _No. Nothing that fruity or that strong. This is like..._

She stood up and turned towards the shelves. There, laying atop a few smaller publications was a single, double-white scots rose. She would recognize those layered petals anywhere. There was a little bead of yellow nestled in the center, with the tiniest of black stamen freckled about. It was in full bloom, which would explain the incredibly sweet and potent fragrance it produced.

A wide grin spread across Jenelle's face as she reached out and pulled the delicate thing from its perch. She cradled the top-heavy crown in her palm and raised it to her lips. The snow-white petals felt like satin on her chin and the smell was the most intoxicating thing.

She looked about her for the owner. She was almost certain she knew who it was.

As she walked down the aisle she saw another double-white lying in an open book on the long study table. She stepped forward and picked up the flower, pressing it together with her own. As she went to turn she saw a passage in the text had been underlined in faint pencil.

" _Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light."_

 _\- Theodore Roethke_

Jenelle smiled and looked eagerly around the empty space. She shuffled down aisle after aisle. She found more roses resting in more open books with beautiful passages underlined in the same light pencil.

" _The earth laughs in flowers." - Ralph Waldo Emerson_

" _There are always flowers for those who want to see them." - Henri Matisse_

" _Stretching his hands up to reach the stars, too often man forgets the flowers at his feet." - Jeremy Bentham_

On the windowsill nearest the library entrance she found another charming little blossom, her hands now covered in the lanky white petals. Unlike the others, this one was a tight little nestle of buds. It was laying on a scrap piece of parchment with another quote scrawled across the page in a messy hand.

" _And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - Anais Nin_

There was a low cough from behind her and Jenelle turned with the parchment and roses in hand. She saw Remus shuffling out from behind one of the bookshelves with his hands in his pockets and a shy grin on his face. The sunlight was dancing off his hair as he passed each row, coming towards her.

"Remus," Jenelle sighed happily, "I knew it was you."

"I was hoping you would," he chuckled. "Did you read the back?"

Jenelle looked at him confused then glanced at the parchment in her hand. She turned it over and saw another message scribbled in black ink.

" _Would you take a risk and be mine?"_

Jenelle looked up at Remus standing far too many yards away. She was smiling the biggest smile she could muster within the borders of her face. Remus was looking at her expectantly but all she could do was nod emphatically, unable to produce any words.

She took off and leaped the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting him lift her from the ground. She felt as delicate and secure in his embrace as the roses held tightly in her grasp. He twirled the two of them around while Jenelle shut her eyes and took in the wonderful rosy aroma of the bouquet pressed up to her face.

They laughed and danced and kissed and spent the rest of the lazy afternoon huddled together in a quiet, sunny corner of the library, undisturbed among scots roses and fine words.

* * *

"JAMES!"

"AHH DON'T HIT ME!" James threw his arms up to instinctively cover all his important bits. When the expected blows failed to come, he slowly opened his eyes to find Sarah looking at him with something similar to guilt.

"I- Do I really hit you that much?" she asked tentatively, biting her lip in worry.

He blurted out, "You sure as snitches do!" before he could stop himself, wincing as soon as he was finished. Beside him, Remus and Peter had smacked their faces in exasperation.

"Oh...I see."

Great, now she really looked guilty and he felt a little like a heel. He sighed, running a hand through his hair before using it to give the girl in front of him a noogie. She took it with a lot of whining but no physical comeback.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he said, smiling sheepishly down on her. "What kind of wuss would I be if I got taken out by a few girly punches?"

Remus groaned into his hands. "James, please stop talking."

"Huh? Oh." Welp, she looked insulted now, ( _curse his way with words_!) "Err, I mean, anyone _else's_ girly punches, that is! Remember, you've got monster strength, be proud!"

Although, she was a bit of an odd bird for actually taking that as a compliment. _What a little weirdo,_ he thought fondly.

"Heh, well, moving on," her tiny grin disappeared as she rested her hands on her hips, giving all the assembled Marauders a glare. "Why didn't you tell me that Sirius' birthday was so soon?"

He blanked, thrown by how random that question was. "Err, you didn't know?"

"No!"

"Oh, well, bugger. Sorry about that Sarah, we honestly thought he would have told you by now."

"Sirius _does_ like to go on about himself." Remus was smiling into his book as he studied for his next transfiguration class. He looked a little too pleased with himself but James was almost certain it had to do with Monty and he didn't want to enter into what would surely be a two-hour bumbling confession of "feelings". Beside Remus, Wormtail was studying from the same text, but with far less exemplary results no doubt.

"Well, what should I do then?" Sarah asked, clearly at a loss, but so was James. He figured she wouldn't really want to be a part of the Marauder's plans, seeing as how James had been putting together an epic prank to play on the Slytherins for Sirius' gift, as was the tradition.

"Well, I dunno," he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "...getting a leg over?"

 _Stomp!_

"Bloody hell Sarah it was just an idea!" He clutched his aching foot, which he was pretty sure was broken.

Peter, the traitorous little rat, spoke up from his place on the sofa. "You _totally_ deserved that."

"The hell I did!" His protests stopped when he caught sight of her terrifying smile. It was bright and shining and just the slightest bit twitchy. The creepiest part though was the fact that he couldn't tell if her eyes were squinted shut or if she was secretly glaring at him.

 _He wasn't prejudiced! He really couldn't tell!_

He spoke as carefully as he could. "Err, okay, forget that last bit, yeah?"

" _Ya think?_ "

"Ahah, hah. Err, _oh!_ I got it, how about you make him something to eat?"

Seemed like he saved his skin with that one since she no longer looked like she was contemplating hexing his bollocks off.

"Hmm, but what?"

He shrugged. "Well, Sirius eats almost anything, he's not that picky. I'm sure you can figure out something."

She gave him a skeptical look, her arms now crossed under her chest. "And just where exactly am I supposed to be doing all this so-called cooking?"

James froze, as did Remus and Peter. Had they really not…? He thought about it, but no, this entire time, they'd never…

"Hey Sarah, wanna go on a little trip?"

(Jumping ahead 10 minutes or so...)

"Masters Prongs and Moony and Wormy! Youse came to see us again! What can we do for you?"


	47. Chapter 47 - Fit for a Feast

CHAPTER 47 - Fit for a Feast

* * *

Sirius was in _no way_ pouting, no matter what James said.

His birthday had started well enough with gifts from his best mates in the morning. Wormtail had gotten him a plant that he swore even _Sirius_ couldn't kill within a fortnight, and it even had little edible berries that tasted like sugar quills for when he was feeling peckish.

Remus had given him a book entitled "How to Pamper your Precious Puppy; 101 Ways," stating that he should hand it off to Waterlily if he ever got around to showing her the real Padfoot. Sirius tackled him to his bed for that, what an obnoxiously amazing friend!

James had gotten him a brand new beater bat, made of polished oak and engraved with his name on the handle. Prongs had also looked at him weirdly, like he almost wanted to throttle him. Sirius had no idea why, so he asked. The others had shared a look between the two before James shook his head and laughed, clapping him on the back.

"Ah you'll find out soon enough, Pads, but I've got to say, you're a lucky sod."

 _Just what was that about?_

He put it out of his mind and made his way downstairs to the common room, where he was disappointed to find a lack of loving girlfriend. Remus went on to reassure him that Sarah had gotten a late night yesterday and was probably sleeping in for the weekend, but still!

He went to breakfast only slightly bitter.

His mood took a drastic upturn when he was met by the furious shrieking of multiple Slytherins, who were gagging on their cutlery as they started realizing that their food had been magically tampered with. Each time someone tried to use a pronoun, an animal sound came out instead, and soon enough the Great Hall was starting to sound less like a cafeteria and more like a zoo.

He was almost crying as he spied Snivellus trumpeting like an especially pissy elephant while Reggie oinked a mile a minute.

Okay, now he felt better.

Throughout his Saturday he was constantly met with well-wishers. His Quidditch teammates had all chipped in to get him a new servicing kit, a horde of girls had stopped by to give their best. He gave each girl a flirty smile and a thank you, only to be elbowed by Remus after the fifteenth girl had gotten a little handsy.

"Ow! Aw come on Moony, that wasn't my fault, she was practically throwing herself on me! What was I supposed to do?"

Remus was less than understanding. "If Sarah were here I honestly don't know if she'd curse your adoring fans or _you_ first, Padfoot."

He huffed in annoyance. "Yeah, well, she's _not_ here is she? What kind of cold-hearted bunny leaves her boyfriend alone on his birthday anyway? Seventeen's an important number!"

"She probably has something really important to do Pads. I'm sure you'll see her soon."

"...Can I-"

" _No_ , you can not use the Map to stalk your girlfriend."

" _Moonyyyyy_."

"No."

The rest of the day continued in that vein, and as the sun slowly sank over the horizon, so did his mood also descend. By the time dinner was almost upon them, he was about to tear out his hair. Where was Waterlily?

He had complained constantly, but James and the others had ignored his every word, insisting that they were probably just missing her by chance. As they headed towards the Great Hall again Sirius was just about to hex Remus and grab the Map, friendship be damned, he wanted his birthday snog! But then he found himself being grabbed by the arm and taking a right instead of a left.

"Umm, Wormtail? You _do_ know the Hall's _that_ way, right?"

Peter sighed rolling his eyes. "I'm not _that_ bad at directions Sirius, we're not going to the Great Hall."

Sirius was confused. "Okay? Where are we going then?"

Prongs rushed up behind him to jump on his back and Sirius just managed to catch them both before they tumbled to the floor. "The kitchens, silly Padpad! Let's go!"

"The kitchens? Why?"

"Just shut up and be patient, Sirius," chided Moony as they drug him the last few corridors to stop at the familiar oil painting of fruit.

As the portrait swung open and he registered the sight in front of his eyes, Sirius sent a quick prayer of thanks to Merlin above, because he seriously might just have the best girlfriend ever, no pun intended.

Sarah couldn't meet his eyes, giving him an adorable wave that couldn't hide how embarrassed she was feeling. "Ah, surprise?"

On each of the three massive tables in the kitchen laid a veritable feast. The table closest held the most recognizable food; plate after plate of roasts, breads, vegetables, and a variety of drinks. The middle table was covered in foods that Sirius had never seen before, and the array of bright colors and mouth-watering smells almost knocked him off his feet.

The last table, great Godric, the _last table_.

Desserts. Desserts as far as the eye could see. Cakes and cookies, pies and tarts. Frozen treats with chilly vapors leaving trails of ice onto the table, a damn _chocolate fountain_.

Sirius was in food heaven.

"Bloody hell Sarah, you really went all out didn't you? There's gotta be at least thirty more dishes than what you had last night!" James had walked past a still dumbfounded Sirius to pull the girl into a friendly hug, then spotted another figure in the background. "Monty! I didn't know you'd be here! Did you help out Sarah? What even is some of this stuff? How did you even keep it warm all this time?"

Montagnard gave a little wave and a happy chirp. "Nah, Sarah wanted to do everything on her own, I was just here for moral support and taste-testing. Also, there's Mexican, Korean, Chinese, French, and Japanese. And house elves have some inexplicable warping magic for keeping food at the perfect temperature, who knew?"

"Are you bloody serious?!"

"Nope, I'm Jenelle!"

Any leftover tension in the room broke with laughter as Remus and Peter hurried to grab a plate from off to the side and start perusing the options. Sirius was still at the entrance, frozen in place, as Sarah made her way slowly towards him.

She was fiddling with her apron, a tiny, white frilled thing that looked absolutely adorable on her, as she came to a stop inches from him.

"So, this is somewhat your fault since you gave me _no_ warning whatsoever so I had no time to get you anything," she started, crossing her arms in a huff. "James told me you like a good meal and I figured I could do that so he and the others showed me to the kitchens. The house elves were really kind and gave me free run of a couple of stoves so long as I shared some recipes with them; apparently, kimchi chigae and boeuf bourguignon are new to them. Oh no, do you even like spicy food? I completely forgot to ask, damn! There's like, ten thousand spicy things on that table! Sirius, do you hate spicy foo-"

He pulled her into his arms and proceeded to try and snog the life out of her. He must have been somewhat successful because she clung to him as her knees weakened. He smirked when he felt it happen, but didn't let it stop him from continuing to try and map her entire mouth with his tongue.

She tasted like chocolate and warm spices; must have been from taste-testing the desserts. He could definitely get used to it.

When he finally broke the kiss he opened his eyes to see her staring dazedly at him. He chuckled, tucking a strand of flour-speckled hair behind her ear. "You're amazing," he whispered, leaning in to give her a small brush of the lips. " _This_ is amazing." Another peck. "Everything is amazing." One more for good luck.

"Damn it Padfoot, stop molesting Waterbrooke and get over here so we can start eating!"

Sirius and Sarah both broke apart to laugh as James shouted irately from his seat at the first table. Remus was sitting with his arm around Montagnard, eyeing his plate full of exotic foods with wonder, while Wormtail was salivating over what Sirius believed to be blackberry cobbler. Taking her hand, he dragged her over to grab a plate, happier than he could recall being in a long time.

* * *

Sirius was well and truly stuffed. He was pretty sure if he tried to take another bite he'd explode like a Yule cracker.

"Merlin, I can't go on," James muttered from his position face down on the table. In front of him was a serving dish that used to house a significant amount of cheesecake, but now only crumbs remained. James seemed to be only slightly regretting his gluttony.

"Moony, you've gotta make sure these exact words go on my tombstone; 'Here likes James Potter, died of cheesecake overdose. Totally worth it.'"

Remus moaned from his own stack of dirty dishes, clutching his stomach in discomfort. Next to him, Montagnard was rubbing his back gently with a highly amused look on her face. "Only if you have mine read 'Here lies Remus Lupin, the sorry sod who died from one too many churros.' _Hurk_."

"Oh come on guys, you're finished already?" Peter, _somehow_ , was still chugging along like the Hogwarts Express, having demolished the cobbler all by himself and was now working on something Waterlily had called black sesame _mochi_. Sirius had loved everything he'd tried, but those chewy, vaguely peanut butter-like little balls had been one of his favorites.

The best thing though had been the tiny, personal birthday cake she'd made for him alone.

Sarah spoke up sleepily from her place nestled under Sirius' arm. "Whatever we can't finish, the house elves said they would pack up for us in thesel enchanted containers. It should keep things fresh for a week and we can come back and heat them up again whenever they want."

"Praise those ugly little blighters, house elves are the best."

" _James._ "

"Sorry."

Remus pushed himself up laboriously from his place on the bench. "Ugh, it's getting late. I'm going to walk Jenelle home, then let's head back to the tower before we all pass out in a food-induced coma. Sarah, dinner was divine, we've got to do this again sometime."

Sirius' talented Waterlily laughed softly. "If you want a good meal, you should ask Jenelle to make you something as well. She's just as good as me, and her family-secret chicken soup is to die for."

Remus looked enthralled at the idea as turned to the blonde in question, who just blushed and began walking to where the house elves were gathered unobtrusively in the far corner to get some of those magical containers Sarah had mentioned. James and Peter peeled themselves away from the table to do the same, leaving the last two people to doze lightly as the warmth of the blazing fire nearby did its best to lull them to sleep.

They almost cracked their heads open on the stones below them when they tipped back just a little too far in their almost-slumber, catching themselves just in time to avoid a painful injury. The sudden scare gave them the jolt they needed to get up as well, and James waved them off, stating that he and the others would take care of the cleanup and packing. The two left to a chorus of "happy birthday" as they made their way slowly up the winding stairs to the rest of the castle.

The journey was peaceful and calm, the image of a new moon just visible behind a fat, fluffy cloud as they passed through the outer courtyard. Sarah gave a shiver, and Sirius didn't hesitate to draw her into his arms for warmth.

"Thanks," she said with a soft smile towards him, and he stopped walking so that he could turn and pull her into another kiss. They took their time, in no rush to go anywhere.

"Thank _you_ ," he replied when they broke for air, weaving his fingers into her dark locks and carding through them gently. "You put in so much work for me, you didn't have to."

She shrugged, looking away to peer at her hands instead. "It wasn't that much work. Besides, not every day you turn seventeen right? I figured the gift should match the occasion."

"It did, all that and more. Second best birthday gift a bloke could ask for." He smiled cheekily at her incredulous face.

"Second?!" she sputtered before playfully poking him in the chest with a finger. "You better tell me right now just what you think tops my gift, Sirius Black!"

He pulled her up for one final kiss, deep and long.

"There we go, best gift," he whispered, loving the way she tried to hide her face when they were done.

It really had been a perfect birthday.


	48. Chapter 48 - Fantastic Frenemies

CHAPTER 48 - Fantastic Frenemies

* * *

Hogsmeade had finally recovered from the "Halloween Raid", as people were calling it, just in time for the next Hogwarts trip. Sirius had of course asked Sarah to accompany him, which she agreed to with a shy smile and a hum of agreement. Had she known exactly what Sirius had planned for her, she would have _petrificus totalis_ 'ed his ass the morning of the event and left him in the Gryffindor common room.

The two of them and the Marauders had commandeered a prime table in the center of the Three Broomsticks as soon as they'd hit the town, and were enjoying a round of butterbeer for the boys and a nice mug of hot tea for Sarah.

"Hey Remus, where's Jenelle?" Sarah asked as she looked around the room. Remus was quick to answer.

"She said she'd join us as soon as she finished shopping with Narcissa and their entourage," he replied with only a small grimace, the disdain mirrored in Sarah's narrowed eyes.

James and Sirius pulled identical faces, like they'd just eaten something rotten. "Blimey Moon Moon," James groused as he took a swing of his drink, ducking when Remus swiped at his bottle in an attempt to spill it all over the bespeckled boy. "Monty's alright, for a snake, but really, her choice of company really needs to improve."

"Don't look at me," Sarah spoke up when the table turned to look at her in expectation. "I may not get along with Narcissa," (" _Understatement_ ," Sirius teased) "but Jenelle's free to do what she wants." She finished her sentence with a sharp flick to her boyfriend's thigh. "Anyway, if you're going to hate on someone hate them for their personality, not their House. Jeez, people, come on."

The four boys looked pained. "Ehh, agree to disagree, love?" Sirius asked a bit pleadingly.

Normally Sarah would let it go, but this was important. Yet, before she could really lay into them the doors swung open, letting in a blast of cold air. She shivered violently and ducked her head into her scarf like a turtle. Turning to glare at the asshole that was letting out all the warmth, she was met with the sight of Jenelle, who brightened when she spied her table.

The statuesque blonde made to walk over but was stopped by a hand on her elbow, courtesy of Narcissa. Sarah glared as she watched the beautiful pureblood try to persuade _her_ friend from coming away to sit with them. Thankfully, Jenelle was a loyal sort (of course she was, _they_ were best friends, not her and that _barbie_ ) and started walking towards their table, Narcissa and whoever else was in their group trailing behind mutinously.

"Hi Sarah! Hi Remus! James, Peter, Black." With the greetings done, everyone waited in awkward silence, not sure what to do next.

Sirius, darling little instigator that he is, was the first to start a fight."Well, Monty?" he shot an expectant look at her, "You gonna grace us with your presence or not?"

"Watch your tone cousin," Narcissa spoke frigidly, spearing him with a look.

"You gonna make me, Cissy?" he taunted back with a sneer. One of the figures behind the two girls moved forward, and Sarah realized with a sinking feeling in her gut that is was Lucius.

"You should know better than to challenge your betters, Black," the blonde boy interjected smoothly, but there was venom hidden under the silk of his words. "Then again, what can one expect from trash undeserving of everything he has?"

"The only trash I see here is you, Malfoy," James spoke slowly, fingering his wand from under the table. Sarah knew that no one was willing to start a fight, not in such a public place like Madam Rosmerta's bar, but it didn't help the tense atmosphere at all.

"Were you perhaps checking your reflection in a mirror, Potter?" Severus taunted from the back of the group, glaring heatedly at his hated enemy. "I would too if I looked as atrocious as you did every day of my life."

"You're one to talk, you greasy-haired git," Sirius started to rise from his seat but Sarah shot out a hand to grab his arm, widening her eyes meaningfully when he looked back at her.

She looked to Jenelle, who seemed torn between her two groups of friends. "Jen, if you want we can just catch up with you later?"

"No! No, that's alright," Jenelle protested, shooting a pleading look at a bristling Narcissa. "Cissy, I'm going to catch up with Sarah since I spent the first half of the trip with you, if that's okay? We can go back to the castle at the end of the day, how does that sound?"

The Slytherin girl did _not_ look happy. Nevertheless, it seemed that not causing a scene won out over whatever pissing contest she seemed dead set on throwing down. The blonde pureblood gave a tight smile to Jenelle, "We'll just be right over here if you need us, alright?"

"She won't," Remus spoke up at last, and his previous silence made his words all the more impactful. Narcissa seemed to hesitate for once, shaken by the werewolf, and Sarah would've kissed Remus for being so damn awesome if she wasn't positive that Jen would heavily disapprove.

"Come, my dear," Lucius steered Narcissa away by the arm, but not before pinning Sarah with a last, meaningful look. "I'm sure certain individuals will come to their senses soon enough and realize that time with a lion is time thoroughly wasted."

 _Ouch. Screw you too, buddy._

"Good r-riddance," Peter spoke up from his place near the wall as the Slytherins stalked away. Sarah rolled her eyes but said nothing, not wanting to waste her breath. She had other things to stress over, like the fact that the Slytherins had decided to sit literally only two tables away, and that Lucius had chosen a chair with a direct line of sight at her and Sirius.

His gaze was heavy and judgemental, and it was all she could do to hold herself back from flipping him the bird. She didn't know if Sirius was reacting to Lucius in particular or just the Slytherins in general, but whatever his reasons, he had thrown a possessive arm around the back of her chair and pulled her close, his eyes still locked challengingly on the snakes. Lucius' gaze narrowed in contempt, and she turned her head away to ignore him, focusing on Jenelle's tense frame.

"Hey," she called out, grabbing the girl's attention. "Sorry to put you on the spot there. I know it sucks to choose between circles of friends when they don't get along."

Jenelle sighed and nodded, but didn't say anything. Remus was trying his best to get her mind off the previous confrontation, asking her what she wanted to drink and if she was hungry.

"Damn snakes," Sirius hissed in her ear, and Sarah could only shrug.

"Can we just move on?" she asked, "It's starting to tick me off, to be honest. Besides, I thought you told me you had something to show me once we got here?" She immediately regretted her words when she saw the unholy glee on her boyfriend's face, a look that was being echoed on James' face as well.

"Whatever you're doing, whatever you're planning. _Do NOT._ "

"Aw, Waterlily," Sirius tilted her chin towards him, "don't you like surprises?"

"No," she said flatly, "I hate them."

James tutted at her in disappointment. "Well that's no fun, Sarah. Where's your sense of excitement? I thought you said Thunderbirds liked adventure!"

"Adventure can be still be had with a plan in hand you crazy thrill-seeker," she shot back, but was distracted again when Sirius pulled her into an unexpectedly heavy kiss.

"I bet I could make you like surprises," he whispered as he pulled away, "How's that, for one?"

She ducked her head, hiking up her scarf to hide her burning face and glaring at him from over the edge of the crimson and gold wool. "I hate you," she hissed, causing him to chuckle and lean forward with a predatory look.

" _Nuh-uh._ "

Sirius was jerked back with a squawk by the neck, his own scarf acting as a noose as Sarah's savior descended like a guardian angel.

"What the bloody hell, Monty?" Sirius demanded hotly, only to be pushed out of his seat by Sarah's best friend, who promptly claimed the open spot for her own. Sarah gave a small ' _eek!_ ' when she was pulled into an embrace that landed her face first into a jacket-covered chest and struggled futilely.

"You keep your hands and everything else where I can see 'em and _away_ from Sarah, mister," Jenelle scolded a fuming Sirius, as the Marauders broke out into gales of laughter.

Sirius was quick to get into Jenelle's personal bubble, looming over her in a threatening manner. "Go back to snogging with Moony and give me back my girlfriend, Montagnard," he hissed.

" _You_ go make out with Remus," Jenelle threw out, giggling at the disgusted look that crossed the faces around the table. Sarah couldn't help but laugh too.

"Give her back, Montagnard!"

"Go sit over there and stop molesting my friend!"

He sputtered, red climbing his cheeks "WHAT? I wasn't, I'd _never_!"

"Aww," Sarah whined disappointedly, her face still squashed into Jenelle's boobs, cackling when the other girl bopped her on the head with a scandalized " _Sarah!_ "

"...Well if you _want_ me to..."

"JOKE," Sarah spat out before Sirius could get any more ideas, judging by the stupid look on his face.

"Prongs! She's so mean to meeee!"

Remus sighed into his drink. "Honestly you three, you're going to cause more of a scene than anything Sirius has planned."

Sarah froze. "... _What_ does Sirius have planned?" she asked in mild panic.

Her answer came in the form of a gigantic cake, which was being floated over by a waitress. "Ey!" the woman called out to their table in an impatient huff, "This yours then?"

"Cynthia you are a darling!" Sirius beamed, pulling out his own wand and taking over the levitation spell to place the cake in the center of their table. It was monstrously huge, and the words 'Happy Anniversary!' Were written in ruby red on sparkling golden fondant.

Jenelle summed up everything quite nicely. "What, the _hell_ , Black."

"Sirius badgered Rosmerta a few hours ago into making it," James explained with a grin, looking like he wanted nothing more than to photograph everything. Sarah was dumbfounded, her face lifted completely due to Jenelle's slackened grip and darting her eyes between the table and her preening boyfriend.

"I-Wha-, why are, _why does it say 'Happy Anniversary!' Sirius?!_ "

"Because today is our two week anniversary!" he exclaimed proudly, like it answered every questions she could ever think of.

"Even the girliest girl wouldn't celebrate an arbitrary number like that!" she screeched before taking notice of the sea of eyes that were looking their way. " _Sirius..._ " she growled.

"Hmm? Oh, cheers love, thanks for reminding me."

 _Remind you of what!?_

"Oy, listen up everyone!" Sirius' call grabbed the attention of everyone in the entire pub. Sarah tried to disappear under the table with Jenelle's encouragement, only to grabbed by the waist and hauled up like a stuffed toy into the arms of her soon-to-be-dead boyfriend.

"My name's Sirius for all you that don't know!" He grinned widely as the other Marauders lost their heads behind him.

"You're dead. I'm gonna murder you so dead." Sarah was trying to squirm away, reaching desperately towards Jenelle, only to be thwarted by the traitor Remus who trapped his own girlfriend in his arms. "Noooo..." Sarah whined softly.

"This here is my beautiful and feisty Waterlily, Sarah! Say hi, love!" He had the guts to actually grab her hand and force her to wave to a chuckling crowd. Sarah was mortified.

"Anyway, this lovely lady finally agreed to date me, and today is our two week anniversary! _Yes_ , it's a real thing when you manage to catch a bird as difficult as this one! So to celebrate, our extremely talented host, the wondrous and beauteous Madam Rosmerta, has done me the honor of baking the masterpiece you see on our table! Everyone's free to come and grab a slice, we'll be celebrating all day! Cheers!"

Applause went up from fellow students and bar patrons alike, multiple voices chanting "Kiss! Kiss!" Sirius did just that, dipping Sarah into a fairytale-like smack that had the whole bar stamping their feet and roaring with approval.

"I hate you." It was all she could force past her numbed lips when they parted. Sarah felt like her soul had left her body along with every shred of dignity she had.

"No you don't," he responded cockily, hauling her up and back into his arms to wave to the applauding crowd. Sarah buried her face in his chest, praying for a lightning bolt to strike her dead, then amended her wish so that Sirius got struck first.

* * *

Lucius' grasp on his butterbeer was to the point of strangulation as he continued to watch Black lay hands on what should be _his_ girl.

"Disgusting," Narcissa sniffed, watching the same spectacle as Black made a fool of himself. "I don't know _why_ Jenelle wastes her time on mongrels like those Gryffindors."

He gave a noncommittal hum, letting Severus take over in consoling the irate girl.

He saw his Thunderbird glare balefully at the brute attached to her. Saw the worthless blood-traitor lean in close. Felt his gut clench _painfully_ when Black _kissed_ her. Watched in absolute envy when the girl responded adorably by burying her face in her scarf.

 _Me. That should be_ me _._

"Oh hoh, big brother's not bothering to be subtle anymore," snarked Regulus, having maneuvered his seat so that he too was facing the Gryffindors. Never leave your back open to the enemy; good words to live by as a Slytherin. "Not that the imbecile even _knows_ what subtle is. Hah!"

Regulus let out a cackle as they all watched Montagnard proceed to try and choke the life out of Black. She had Lucius' whole-hearted approval.

Narcissa sniffed again in disapproval. "Honestly, those two have absolutely _no_ shame. Nothing like us, right Lucius?" She turned to give him an earnest look, and he tore his eyes away to look down at her with a tight-lipped smile.

"Of course, my dear," he agreed amicably, watching her blush under his approval with an internal roll of his eyes.

 _It's just, too easy with her._

"It's strange though," Severus murmured quietly from his place directly next to Lucius. He raised an eyebrow at the dark haired boy, urging him silently to continue. Severus looked squirrelly, glancing meaningfully at Regulus. The other Black boy cocked his own eyebrow in question but did as he was told, pulling Narcissa into a conversation and leaving Lucius and Severus to talk more privately.

"You know that Waterbrooke and I sometimes spend time together along with Montagnard to study nonverbal magic?" Severus whispered lowly.

Lucius _had_ known, actually. The only reason he hadn't said anything about Severus spending time with the Gryffindor mudblood Evans, was the fact that Severus _was_ spending time with _her_ and not Sarah. For once, Lucius approved of Severus' degrading crush on the red-haired shrew, as it cleared any doubts he might have had regarding the boy's attentions.

"What of it?" he asked, intrigued with where Severus' story was going.

"From what I've learned of the girl," Severus was choosing his words carefully, his thoughts obviously being organized as he spoke, "for all her bravado and vocals, she is a surprisingly shy creature when it comes to matters of relationships. As far as I knew, she and Black have been together secretly at _least_ before the Harvest Ball..."

 _That long?!_

"...but this is the first time they've ever been so open. I wonder if something has changed?"

Something indeed. Perhaps his father's disapproval, along with his and Sarah's confrontation. Was this her response to his warnings? Throwing her relationship in his face in order to convince herself of Black's sincerity?

 _Oh, my darling. You have no idea what kind of duplicity that waste of pureblood is capable of._

"Oh Merlin, what are they doing _now_?" demanded Narcissa hotly, dragging his attention away from his ruminations and back into reality. He caught sight of an obscenely colored cake, and curled his lip in look stayed throughout the next several minutes as he watched the travesty unfold in front of him, his hands curling into shaking fists as each word spewed from Black's boastful mouth caused his anger to rise more and more.

Seeing his Thunderbird manhandled against her will into a completely inappropriate kiss for the entertainment of the idiotic masses around them was the final straw, and Lucius threw back the rest of his drink in an uncommonly uncouth manner.

 _Just you wait, Black. One day your fall from grace will come of your own design, and I will be there to break your spine as I walk over you and into the embrace of_ my _Thunderbird._


	49. Chapter 49 - The Match Lights A Fire

CHAPTER 49 - The Match Lights a Fire

* * *

Sirius was almost dancing with anticipation and beside him he knew James was feeling the same. It was time for the first Gryffindor vs Slytherin match of the year, and he knew his team was going to blow the competition out of the skies!

"You ready to knock some smarmy snakes off their brooms tomorrow, Pads?" James high-fived him.

"Only with your help my dear Mister Prongs!" He and James were incredible in the air together; no one could deny the way they seamlessly tag-teamed to send bludgers flying at their opponents' faces while scoring goal after goal. Just last year, James alone had racked up over three hundred points, and Sirius knew his mate was looking to top that score this year as well.

Their entire house was in the spirit with lion-themed decorations covering every free surface of the common room and constant well wishes for their players. Right now, he and James were lounging next to each other while a crowd of admirers hovered around them, hanging on their every word with starry eyes and confident cheers.

There was just one _slight_ problem…

"Hey, where's Waterli-Waterbrooke?" Sirius asked a distracted James, who was currently awing the audience by playing around with his stolen snitch.

Behind him, he heard Carina Veers give a high-pitched ' _humph!_.' "That scary midget? I overheard her talking to that Slytherin friend of hers at lunch today that she couldn't care less about the Quidditch match. Why bother with someone as lame as her, Sirius?" She proceeded to flutter her big hazel eyes at him, and had it been the beginning of the year it would have been successful at gaining his attention. Sirius, though, was now a taken man and had a wayward girlfriend to find.

"Well that just won't do, Veers. We need to all stand united against Slytherin tomorrow. Do you happen to know where the little Debbie Downer is?" He tilted his head so that he was looking directly up at the girl, who broke out into a fiery blush.

 _Too easy,_ he commented to himself, _Waterlily wouldn't have even reacted to something so simple._

Obviously thinking that she'd just gotten the girl in trouble with him, Veers easily spilled the beans that Sarah had last been seen heading to the Library. Giving the gossiping hen a handsome smirk, Sirius patted James on the arm in farewell before stepping out of the common room and making his way to find his absentee Ilvermornian.

It took a few minutes of searching one he'd arrived, but he finally located her surrounded by a sea of parchment and textbooks and even a conjured fairy light, floating up and down next to her head. She must have been writing up a storm for a while, because he spied no less than five classes worth of finished assignments spanning the entirety of this week. The productiveness of it all made him want to gag.

She hadn't noticed him yet, so he slunk around the outskirts of her vision until he was directly behind her. With a silent cackle he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hold while dropping his chin on her head.

She shrieked, flinching so hard he almost bit his tongue as she instinctively threw her head back to collide with his throat. He instantly broke his hold to clutch at his bruised windpipe while his way-too-violent-to-be-normal love interest whirled around in her seat to stare at him in a frightened rage.

" _You!_ " she hissed out, and all he could do was give a weak one-handed wave as he wheezed.

They both froze when they heard rushing footsteps coming towards their secluded area; Madam Pince must be coming to throw them out. Sirius quickly grabbed Sarah's wrist, pulling her out of her seat and running as silently as possible towards a secret nook that the Marauders had found a few years ago.

He placed a hand over a protesting Waterlily's mouth just as they both heard Madam Pince come into the vicinity, freezing in place.

There was a few seconds of tension, before they both released quiet sighs of relief when the footsteps started fading away. With the danger over, Sirius was more than happy to start appreciating the position he was in; namely, pressed up completely against the smaller, softer frame in his arms.

He couldn't stop himself from letting his hands wander, running them heavily down her back to the curve of that mesmerizing bum he'd been fantasizing about touching again for weeks now. He gave it a firm squeeze, delighted by the cute little squeak she choked out before she swatted him none too gently on his chest.

"Are you kidding me?" she hissed. He only smirked in response, his grip not letting up in the slightest.

"Let go, idiot!"

He shushed her with a kiss, almost laughing at how she struggled against him. "Shh," he teased as he bumped his nose against hers. "Don't want the dragon of the library to come looking for us again, do we?"

"I'm going to rip off your arms and beat you to death with them Sirius Black. Let's see how well you handle a beater bat after _that_ , hmm?"

He frowned, using the tiny space of the alcove to prevent her from looking away from him. "Why weren't you in the common room with everyone else tonight, love?" he asked, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Because, I can't focus when people are going crazy around me?"

Sirius pouted. "But tomorrow's the big match! You're supposed to be celebrating with us, _me_ in particular! Not doing _homework!_ "

"First of all, your hands are _still_ on my ass don't think I don't notice. _Second_ , I told you already that I don't really like quidditch; why should I care?" Her little nails were digging delicately into the skin of his forearms, and he finally released his grip with a wince.

"Aww, don't be like that," he pleaded. "Come on Waterlily, be a good girlfriend and cheer for me tomorrow, promise?"

She sighed, thunking her head head softly against the hard stone behind her and rolling her eyes. " _Fine_ ," she groused, "I guess I can at least take a book or something if things get boring."

He grinned brightly, swooping down for a quick peck. "You're the best!" he exclaimed, watching in amusement as she pretended not to be pleased with his actions.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

* * *

She knew it; she was bored.

Lily, sitting right next to her in the stands, was of a similar mindset, sighing in annoyance every time someone whooped a little too loudly near her ear.

The two girls had decided to sit on their own instead of with Remus and Peter, wanting to keep their interactions with others as minimal as possible. Sarah of course was only here because Sirius asked her to, and Lily was here because Sarah had begged and pleaded.

Sarah couldn't even say hi to Jenelle with all the house animosity this morning! Instead, they'd had to content themselves with a quick wave the entire day as little 'accidents' between Gryffindor and Slytherin kept occurring with rising viciousness. Jenelle and her had agreed that for once it would be better to just go with the flow of stupid rather than tire themselves out from swimming upriver.

"Is it over yet?" Sarah asked plaintively, feeling like her butt was starting to fall asleep.

Lily shook her head forlornly. "It's hasn't even been half an hour."

"Kill me."

"We'll go together."

It didn't help that they both knew that Sirius and James were peacocking especially hard today in an attempt to impress their respective love interests. While Sirius had quite the leg over James in that he and Sarah were actually dating, it didn't make her any more impressed by his antics.

"Honestly," Lily huffed as James scored another goal and performed a little tumble on his broom. "They think they're so clever and good looking and talented. I wish someone would just come along and burst their over-inflated heads."

"Like a balloon," Sarah nodded. "A giant, hot-air balloon from those old cartoons where it just flies away into the sunset and burns up into ashes."

"Wouldn't that just be the thing?" Lily said sardonically.

A sudden gasp from the crowd had them both snapping back towards the game. The Slytherin seeker was diving downwards in a tight corkscrew spiral that made Sarah motion-sick just witnessing, a flash of gold just beyond his reach. His outstretched hand was almost brushing his prize when he was violently knocked off course via a well-aimed bludger to the face. Sarah couldn't help but burst out with laughter when she spied Sirius looking oh so pleased with himself. The crowd went wild around her as the Gryffindors cheered for her boyfriend, girls screaming his name and boys hollering praise.

"My ears," Lily hissed, her hands on either side of her head.

"As soon as the game ends, no matter who wins, let's make like a kangaroo and bounce," Sarah suggested, which Lily nodded enthusiastically at. They didn't have to wait too long. About half an hour later later the Gryffindor seeker made a heroic catch from high in the clouds, and the whistle was blown. Gryffindor had won: 210 to 80.

"Thank Hera, I thought that would never end." Sarah was quick to jump to her feet and Lily followed suit as the rest of the stands spilled out into the pitch, where the Gryffindor team was revelling. She spied Jenelle on one of the opposite towers and gave a brief wave. Jenelle had always been much more enthusiastic about sports than she'd ever been or will be, so she hoped her friend hadn't been too invested in the game.

Lily and Sarah were able to make their way back to the castle with relative ease, and found themselves happily grabbing a few books and blankets from their room before heading outside to study. Lily cast an area-warming charm while Sarah transfigured a couple of branches into a serviceable wind barrier, and then they began discussing some of the finer points of nonverbal casting for DADA.

They stayed out for an hour or two, long enough for the sun to sink over the horizon and their stomachs to start growling. Knowing that they had no choice but to face fate, they dragged themselves to the Great Hall, which was much more rowdier than usual as Gryffindor proved why it had never been the house of 'gracious winners.'

"How did they even get fireworks?" Lily asked rhetorically.

"To wonder is to play into their hands. Just let it go like dust in the wind."

"You have the strangest expressions, Sarah."

"Ehh, it's a skill."

James chose this time to spy the two reluctant girls near the entrance and waved frantically. "Evans!"

Lily gave a pained whimper and Sarah laughed without mercy. "That option of dying together must be looking pretty good right about now, huh?"

"Hush you," the redhead hissed as she gently smacked the shorter girl on the arm. Squaring her shoulders, Lily completely ignored James as she moved to sit as far away from him as possible. Sarah was torn for a second on who she would be sitting with before she registered a certain sight that had her blood boiling.

Right there in perfectly plain view was her boyfriend, his shoulders draped with the arms of a busty brunette as she whispered something into his ear.

That little skank! And screw him too!

Sirius had somehow missed her entrance along with James' shout of excitement, too preoccupied drinking in the praise of his fans. He had almost a literal horde of people around him, both sitting and standing. Girls were cooing and sending him looks that just screamed slutty intentions, and Sarah felt her spine stiffen before she abruptly turned to follow Lily to the end of the table, ignoring the lancing pain in her gut and the burning behind her eyes.

Lily looked at her carefully when she sat down with more force than necessary. "Sarah?"

"I'm fine," she answered shortly. "Hey, do you mind if I just grab some things to go and see you later?"

Lily glanced quickly down the table before her eyes hardened. "I'll join you," she said stiffly, already grabbing the necessary ingredients for a couple of bread roll sandwiches. "Let's go, sweetie."

Sarah couldn't help but feel a wave of relief, smiling slightly at the bristling girl across from her. "Can we find Jenelle too?"

"Of course."


	50. Chapter 50 - Drunken Dalliances

CHAPTER 50 - Drunken Dalliances

* * *

"Ooooh are you in trouble now, Padfoot," James hissed under his breath.

Unlike his usually more situationally-aware mate, James had seen what the other boy had not. Sarah had _not_ looked happy when she spied Sirius being flirted with by nearly every girl in Gryffindor and a good amount of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw as well.

Sirius looked at him, completely out of the loop. "What are you blathering about, Prongs?"

"Let's just say it's the doghouse for you, mate," Remus said calmly as he focused on buttering his roll. Looks like Moony had also noticed Sarah and Evans' entrance and subsequent hasty departure.

Sirius sputtered, leaning forward and shrugging off a particularly clingy blonde. "What? Why?"

Peter was the one to look at their friend like the idiot he was. "Three words Padfoot: there she goes." Watching the blood drain from Sirius' face was James' new favorite pastime.

"Oh hell, don't tell me-" Pads whipped his head towards the exit where they could just make out the forms of Sarah and Evans, along with a recently recruited Montagnard, disappearing around the corner in a flash of fluttering robes.

Sirius slammed his head against the table, startling many of the students around him. "I'm so dead..." he whimpered.

James snickered. "Don't you mean ' _boned,_ ' Pads?"

" _Shut up, James!_ "

* * *

"I can curse him you know, just give me the signal."

"Just forget it!" Sarah snapped out before immediately regretting her tone. "Sorry," she said quickly but sincerely, relieved to see Jenelle just roll her eyes and shrug.

The three of them had at first made their way to find an abandoned classroom, but realized that they'd forgotten to bring napkins and drinks in their haste to leave the Great Hall, so Sarah had the three of them head to the kitchens. After making Lily _promise_ not to tattle, she tickled the little pear and the portrait swung open to admit their little group into the room behind it.

The kitchens were a bit busy tonight as house elves scurried around, in the process of making dessert for the hungry people upstairs. The girls made themselves as unobtrusive as possible, taking the farthest corner of the table closest to the exit and only requesting some water and pumpkin juice. It didn't matter in the long run though as the house elves were more than willing to set them up with a much more substantial fare, and soon they had a delicious, creamy tomato soup to go with their pilfered sandwiches and hot tea to spare.

Jenelle and Lily tried to keep the atmosphere light by going on at length about how much of a bastard Sirius was and all the ways they could get revenge on him, and Sarah appreciated how hard they were trying to cheer her up. It kinda worked; she _did_ love thoughts of violent revenge, but ultimately it wasn't enough to erase the hurt.

She knew that he was popular. She knew that half of the situation was her fault for wanting to keep their relationship quiet for as long as they did, but it still sucked major quaffle balls.

Dinner finished quickly and they split apart to go back to their dorms. Jenelle gave her friend a big hug that Sarah only slightly fought against before the blonde planted a huge kiss on her head, which Sarah furiously fought against.

"Talk to him, Sarah," Jenelle whispered into her hair, and Sarah slumped, feeling drained of energy. "Tell him it bothers you. I know you know how to mediate problems now."

"...Fine."

Jenelle beamed. "Good girl."

When Sarah and Lily arrived at the Fat Lady the older girl put her hand on Sarah's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "You just let me know if you need _anything_ , okay Sarah?"

She nodded with only a slightly strained smile. "Thanks, Lil."

Her friend gave a tiny smile before turning to face the portrait. "Chinese Fireball."

They were hit with a din of noise that the portrait had magically dampened before it opened, the common room filled to the brim with celebrating lions. Sarah could practically _breathe_ the alcohol in the air and wrinkled her nose in distaste. All around them people were cheering as music from somewhere filled the air with No-Maj seventies jams.

 _Lameee._

"Ugh, I'm already getting a headache," Lily sighed. Sarah could commiserate; she really wasn't in a partying mood right now.

They started wading through the sea of bodies towards the stairs that would lead to the girl's dorms, but Sarah's arm was caught unexpectedly. Looking up, she found that the hand around her arm was attached to a grimacing Peter Pettigrew.

 _Oh_. _Great_.

"H-hey!" the small boy stuttered nervously. "Sirius has been looking for you all night! Where've you been?"

"Not here," she growled dangerously, happy when it caused the boy to flinch.

He laughed nervously, a small sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Ah. O-okay? Umm, well, it's just, Sirius was _really_ upset that he couldn't find you after dinner so..."

"...So what?"

"Well, he, err. _Might_ have drunk a little too much fire whiskey and is now stumbling around the castle halls looking for you with Remus?"

"WHAT!?"

Her outcry brought more than a few curious eyes her way, but she didn't care. How was she even supposed to react to news like that?

Pettigrew was really sweating now. "Yeah, James is on crowd control duty with the rest of the Quidditch team, but Remus volunteered to make sure Sirius didn't make an arse of himself when he went out looking for you."

 _Well then, who the hell is carrying the Map?_ Sarah wanted to demand but kept her silence. She felt a well of frustration bubbling inside of her. This was the last thing she had wanted to deal with.

"Sarah? What do you want to do?" Lily asked quietly from behind her, a small frown marring her features. The Ilvermorny girl sighed heavily.

"Guess I've got to go find his sorry ass. Don't worry about me, I'll be back soon."

"You're sure?" It was kind of her to be so worried, but Sarah would rather just get this over with. She gave her friend a smile.

"Yeah, I've got this. See you later, okay?"

Lily slowly nodded, not looking completely sold on the idea. "Alright. But you let me know _immediately_ if something goes wrong, you hear?"

"Sure thing, mom."

That earned her a bonk on the head. "Get going, you."

* * *

Remus was not having fun as he trailed after a stumbling Padfoot, doing his best to make sure they didn't run into any patrolling professors. _Why_ didn't he grab the Map from upstairs before all of this? Oh yeah, because Sirius had thrown them all for a loop so quickly by storming out of the common room after an hour of more drinking than he usually did, slurring out a sentence about finding Sarah and demanding forgiveness. Remus hadn't had the time to grab the damn Map!

He actually did say he would 'demand,' forgiveness. Remus did not see this ending well for his inebriated packmate who was now making a right arse of himself.

"For Godric's sake, Padfoot would you keep your _bloody voice down_?"

They had made almost a complete circle by now, having past the outer courtyard, the library, even a brief stop at the dungeons and the lower level classrooms. Nothing. They were heading back to Gryffindor tower now, and to Remus' horror, Sirius must have grabbed a half-full handle of fire whiskey before he'd left the party and was now proceeding to see how fast he could chug it.

"Damn it Sirius!" He ripped the bottle out of the other boy's hands, sighing in relief when he noticed only a little of the contents had disappeared.

"Givit back, Moon Moon!"

"Why in Merlin's name do you have to insist on using that ridiculous mangling of a nickname?"

Sirius laughed loudly, ignoring Remus' pleads to hush. "'S funny, tha's why! Waterlily's right, your name _IS_ silly!"

He made a note to pay back the small girl tenfold for having pointed out that unfortunate aspect of his first and last names.

Sirius went from laughing to pathetic in an instant, leaning heavily on Remus and almost toppling the boy with his unexpected weight. "Where is she _,_ Moon Moon? Why can't we find her?"

Remus struggled to keep his friend moving, Sirius was not being the most cooperative right now. "I'm sure we just missed her, Padfoot. She's probably already in the tower and waiting for you."

Sirius hung his head low. "Bet she's not," he slurred out. "She's right pissed as all at me."

"Well, you _did_ let all those brainless ex-bints of yours hang all over you."

Sirius' head snapped up with blazing eyes and a hellish stare _,_ Sirius was such a bipolar drunk.

"I-It's not my fault I'm a bloody paragon of sexiness! I can't change that!"

 _And a modest drunk too._

"Waterlily's the one that wanted to keep us a sec- ( _hick!)_ a secret! It's her bloody fault!"

A voice rang out from the darkness in front of them, dripping with venom.

" _Oh. Really._ "

"Sweetie!" Sirius lurched out of a frozen Remus' arms, heedless of the deadly aura surrounding his girlfriend. "I couldn't find you _anywhere_ love and Remus was helping me look and why'd ya leave and you didn't even _try_ to find me aft'r the game and did ya see me _flyin'_ a-". She ignored her clingy, rambling boyfriend with a grace that Remus could tell belied her pure agitation.

"Remus." She looked at him, and the werewolf started worrying about his mate's physical safety. "I'll take it from here."

 _And I'll be short one friend tomorrow._

"Err," he said instead, taking a single step forward. "That won't be a problem, Sarah. I'm sure I could-"

Her bloodlust dissipated in the face of his justifiable wariness, leaving only a weary air behind as she sighed. "Remus," she repeated, looking beseechingly into his eyes. "It's alright. I've got to talk about some things with this idiot, but I promise I'll bring him back whole and hearty, 'kay?"

 _Whole and hearty, sure. But what about heartbroken?_ he wanted to ask. As much as Sirius had made an arse of himself tonight, he didn't want to poor sod's heart stomped on when the boy was this sloshed.

 _Still, it's not my relationship..._

He sighed, wondering if he was going to regret this in the morning. "Fine. If I don't see you both in two hours I'm going to start a manhunt though."

She smiled slightly, nodding at his stipulation. "Don't worry. I'm thinking a walk outside will help him burn off the alcohol, then we'll head back. Did he eat anything? I don't want him too hungover tomorrow."

"He had a full dinner, but could probably do with some water before long," Remus advised, feeling more hopeful about Padfoot's future relationship if Sarah was still genuinely worried about him.

She nodded one more time. "Got it. Sirius, let's take a walk."

Sirius, from his place where he had been leaning heaving against his girlfriend, smiled drunkenly. "Cheers!"

"Here's hoping," Remus muttered as they parted ways.


	51. Chapter 51 - That Was That

CHAPTER 51 - That Was That

* * *

Sirius was in a much better mood now. He'd found his adorable little Waterlily, and she was actually holding his arm out in public as she led them back to the Quidditch pitch, her wand out and glowing gently to make sure they didn't trip on anything. They'd had to dodge a Hufflepuff Prefect on the way, but it was less than nothing for them. Now they were on the far side of the stands to avoid detection from the castle and were walking in a large circle around the pitch.

She was quiet though and that was strange. Sarah was a naturally boisterous person when you got past her more snarky layers to the happy gooey sweet center that was his girlfriend's hidden heart.

 _And okay, maybe he had drunk a little too much because that thought had been much too flowery..._

Suddenly, there was an invisible but very real wall that appeared between them. He stopped walking to plant his feet firmly in the grass. The girl to his side jerked forward, not expecting the sudden halt, before looking up at him with a gaze that was far too flat for his liking.

"What?" she asked simply, not meeting his eyes. "You feelin' sick? You should sit."

"I'm not sick," he replied, and it was true. He was feeling a little better than before because what used to be a constant miasma of dizzying confusion and swimming vision had calmed down. He no longer felt like he would trip over his own feet without support and his head had definitely stopped spinning. The problem was that without the haze of alcohol to dull his memory, he had to face his actions from earlier and wasn't exactly sure what to do next.

"A-actually, let's sit, yeah?"

He tugged at her arm insistently until she folded to his request. He sat down rather heavily while she tried to take a spot next to him, but he wasn't going to let that happen. As soon as she was on the grass he moved so that she was sitting between his legs, her back against his chest. Instead of squirming like normal she let him do as he pleased, taking it all with an apathy that was beginning to unnerve him.

He pulled her close and buried his face into her hair, breathing deeply and letting her scent wash over him and calm his rapid heartbeat.

"Love?" he whispered in trepidation.

He got a simple "Hmm?" in response.

 _What, what should he say?_ "Th-they don't mean anything, those other birds. You know that right?"

 _She had to know. Surely she knew that his feelings were genuine, that he wasn't playing around?_

"...Mm."

He frowned. That wasn't what he wanted to hear at all. "They're the ones throwing themselves at me!" he quickly defended himself.

"...Mm-hm."

"What's your problem!? Merlin's balls, I'm not gonna apologize for being me, so you can forget about that!" It wasn't fair, she shouldn't judge him for being himself and flirting a little when it didn't _mean_ anything!

Her eyes were closed and her head turned away from him. He hated it. He hated that she wasn't yelling at him, wasn't accusing him of being a selfish prick, wasn't crying about how he'd betrayed her or a hundred more things other girls had used on him in the past. This was different, this was positively dreadful.

She had slowly tensed up in his arms, her legs shifting ever so slightly, and Sirius was struck with a sudden bolt of clarity that she was about five seconds from running away from him. He held her tighter, not about to let that happen.

"Just SAY something! Call me a cheating bastard! Tell me I'm horrible, anything! SOMETHING."

"..."

" _Please._ " He begged quietly when the silence became too much for him to bear. "Please, love, just talk to me." He exhaled in relief when she finally, _finally_ , turned to tuck herself under his head, which he was happy to accommodate. She maneuvered her body until she was curled up in his embrace, her hand resting on his and providing a warmth that he could feel in his very soul.

"It wasn't fair, huh?" she seemed to say to herself.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Me, asking for us to be a secret. It wasn't fair of me to ask. I'm sorry."

He shook his head, holding her tighter as he protested. "No! No, love, I get it, I really do." She was looking at him now, and he was shocked to see that she was almost in tears. "Oh love, don't..." he said helplessly.

She gave a tiny, watery smile. "Hey, Sirius. Would you like to go out with me?"

He stopped breathing, terribly confused. "Err, weren't we already…?" he checked, but she laughed and shook her head.

"No, we weren't. At least," she shrugged, "not officially. Not by everyone's standards, not by _your_ standards, right?"

Sirius didn't respond. He didn't know what to say.

"Go out with me," she said again, and her smile had to be as wide as his own. "I, I don't mind people knowing," she said happily. "I'm sorry for not being brave, can you forgive me?"

He swooped down to kiss her, full of joy to the point he could burst. "You're killing me, Waterlily," he groaned as their lips parted. "Don't you know how bad you're making me feel right now? It's the _bloke_ that's supposed to ask that question. _Now_ how am I supposed to regain my manliness? I already professed my love for your in a crowded pub, _with cake_!"

She pulled him down to gift him with another time-stopping meeting of her lips on his, and he gladly let himself get lost in the moment.

"Sorry if I can't help you with your manliness issues," she giggled at him. He didn't mind at all. "And you haven't given me an answer you know."

She poked him in the chest gently, and he took the offending hand and brought it up so he could smother it in a flurry of kisses. " _Yes_ , you daft American bint, _of course_ I'll go out with you."

* * *

They were laid out on the grass now, his Waterlily half-sprawled on top of him and resting her head just above his heart. The silence was tranquil instead of foreboding as it once was, and Sirius found himself in a rare mood where he actually didn't mind the peacefulness of it all. With the Marauders it was a constant hunt for mischief and fun; moments like this where they did nothing were few and far between. With his past conquests, he never liked it when they got clingy. It felt too possessive, too greedy and fake. He didn't mind it now though, and he wondered why exactly that was, and what it meant for him.

Sarah spoke up suddenly. "Sirius?"

"Yeah, love?"

He trailed his fingers up and down her spine in a slow dance of touch and tease. "What is it?" he coaxed as gently as he could.

"Just," she hesitated. "I-I know you're popular. I know that a lot of girls are still going to throw themselves at you because they have absolutely _no_ concept of shame or a brain in their empty skulls that might just make them stop and say 'Oh hey maybe going after the guy that's taken _isn't_ a good idea!' and-"

"You're rambling, Waterlily." He smothered a laugh, but she slapped him playfully all the same.

" _Right_. Sorry. Raging Wampus' this is hard. I guess what I'm saying is just... _please_. If, if you ever start thinking that maybe you want to go after someone else-"

"Hey!" he interrupted, raising his head enough to give her a stern look.

"No listen!" she continued quickly. "Just _promise_ me. Swear that you'll tell me, don't just leave me in the dark and, and..."

She swallowed hard, he felt it against his chest.

"And break my heart." she finished softly, her eyes soft and serious.

He pushed himself up, bringing her with him so that he could rest both hands on her shoulders. "Sarah…" she wasn't looking away anymore now. "Don't you remember what I said before? I promised you that I'd _never_ hurt you, that I _want_ this to work. Trust me, love."

She searched his gaze, and he let her, willing with all his might that whatever she saw there would finally wash away her doubts about him.

It felt like ages, but in reality was probably only a few seconds before a smile tugged at the corner of her lips and she tilted her head to the right, a sign he was starting to recognize meant that she was truly happy.

"Okay."

And that was that.


	52. Chapter 52 - Severity of the Situation

CHAPTER 52 - The Severity of the Situation

* * *

When Jenelle had been called into the Headmaster's office the next morning, she hadn't really known what to expect. Seeing Sarah and Dumbledore wasn't so unusual, but the frankly terrifying individual wrapped in the deepest black and lurking in a shadowed corner?

No, not good for her heart.

"Miss Montagnard, thank you for coming." Dumbledore waved her to a seat, which she took with only minimal trepidation. She looked to Sarah for some hint of what was going on, only to spy her friend with a ramrod-straight spine and eyes that were laser-focused. Whatever was going on, it was serious.

"Sir," her friend said carefully, shooting a quick glance at their as-of-yet still unnamed fourth member. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is an Unspeakable doing here?"

Jenelle gasped. _An Unspeakable?_ They were practically the boogeymen of the magical community in Europe; the CIA, the spooks, the Men in Black. Meeting one was never a good thing.

Dumbledore looked assessing as he considered Sarah's question. "And how would you know if my guest here is an Unspeakable, Miss Waterbrooke?" he asked, and Jenelle could tell that he expected an answer.

Sarah to her credit only flinched slightly under the weight of that powerful stare. "Family dealings," was all she offered, apparently deciding to be petulant. Though it didn't matter to Jenelle, Sarah rarely offered her family secrets to anyone, even her.

There was a hoarse chuckle, and the cloaked figure stepped forward, practically gliding towards them in a movement similar to a Dementor. It put Jenelle's hairs on end.

"Smart child, and a smarter mouth. Careful it doesn't get you in trouble one day." The husky alto voice of a woman emerged from the black depths of the hood, and it was oddly somewhat of a letdown to hear a voice so normal when Jenelle had been half-expecting the wail of a banshee or something.

Sarah narrowed her eyes but said nothing in return, obviously not willing to tango with someone so blatantly dangerous. Dumbledore was one thing; it was easy to fall into a false lull of complacency when dealing with his gentle grandfather shtick. This woman however, she practically dared you to mess with her. Something only an idiot would try and Jenelle knew Sarah wasn't an idiot.

"Madam Spectre is here because I requested her presence, Miss Waterbrooke," Dumbledore clarified, and both girls focused their attention on him.

Jenelle hesitantly spoke up, not knowing if she wanted to hear his reasons. "Why?"

"He should have done it as soon as you two dropped through a Time-Turner sandstorm," Spectre (as she was now identified) growled. She moved over to the side of Dumbledore's desk to stand menacingly at his shoulder, her hood angled to show that she was more than likely glaring at the old man. "Had you been anyone else, you'd have been in deep dragon dung, Headmaster."

He waved off her threat with a charming smile and twinkling eyes. "Ah, do forgive an old man, my dear. I was so caught up in arranging Miss Waterbrooke and Miss Montagnard's stay that it simply slipped my mind. These things happen when you get to my age, you see."

She snorted, crossing her arms. "Just be glad you have friends in high places," was all she responded with before turning to take in Jenelle and Sarah.

Even with the closer distance, Jenelle couldn't make out a single detail of the woman's face, and she wondered just what kind of enshrouding enchantments had been placed on her cloak. Whatever it was, it must have cost a fortune. That, and it was definitely not street-legal.

"Jenelle Dubois, of the Dubois family." The blonde jerked upright, not expecting her real name to be spoken after having heard Montagnard for so long. "A family with a very unique blood curse, according to the files we were able to scrounge up from old archives and confirm with our MACUSA liaisons. You've met with a very unfortunate fate, haven't you?"

Jenelle scowled, not liking having her family's dirty laundry aired so openly. Before she could retort Spectre's attention moved to Sarah.

"Sarah Yellowbanks. Quite the powerful family you got adopted into, little one. Or rather, you will get adopted into. You haven't even been born yet, in 1976."

"What exactly is the purpose of this visit, Ma'am?" Sarah asked tightly. Jenelle knew it was because of the mentioning of her adopted status, a sore subject for the girl who was still learning how to talk about it openly and without resentment.

The Unspeakable's voice hardened. "You two are in a very precarious situation, and I don't think you understand the gravity that comes from the fact that you two are still here."

Both Jenelle and Sarah had no idea how to respond to that. They knew that their situation was unprecedented as far as anyone knew, so why did it seem like this woman knew more than the average person?

"Perhaps," Dumbledore interrupted smoothly "Madam Spectre would allow me to elaborate?" He received a terse nod and proceeded to continue talking, looking between Sarah and Jenelle with serious eyes.

"Miss Yellowbanks, Miss Dubois. When you first arrived I told you, that although you two lacked the guidance of a Time-Turner you would eventually be snapped back into your current time, yes?"

They nodded. They didn't like being reminded.

"Well, after the revelation of Miss Dubois', _predicament,_ I made some discreet inquiries with some of my contacts in the Department of Mysteries, therefore catching the attention of the elusive Unspeakables in the process. Madam Spectre was dispatched to evaluate your situation and also to inform you of some rather important news."

"Well that doesn't sound ominous." Sarah snarked, and Jenelle flicked her friend in the arm in rebuke. Honestly, that girl needed a filter! Although, she was thinking the same thing.

"Deathly so, child." the Unspeakable said, and a heavy feeling entered the already tense atmosphere.

Madam Spectre took control of the stage next. "Your case is unprecedented. In the history of recorded Time-Turner incidents, never has there been such a unique threat before. You are lucky in that you were not sent to a time where you could have potentially been seen by your past selves; such a thing never ends well."

 _Chadwick and Webster, now that was truly ominous._

"On the other scale, being sent so far back means that your actions will inevitably affect the future in ways that have only been theorized about. I won't lie..."

Jenelle felt like gravity had just been cranked up to times ten; it was suddenly very hard to breathe as the shadows surrounding the woman seemed to grow and loom behind her.

"...If it were up to me and my superiors, I'd have you two shipped off to a remote cell where you wouldn't be able to cause any damage to our reality. But!" Her voice moved from sinister to blase with a speed of a mental whiplash.

Jenelle drew in a frantic gasp when she was suddenly able to breathe normally again. Next to her Sarah was doing the same.

"There is one saving grace for you, and you are not to go around repeating what I am about to tell you willy-nilly. In fact, you will both be making an unbreakable vow before we go any further with this conversation."

"Screw that!" Sarah burst out, eyes flashing and her hand gripping her wand in the pocket of her robes. "I know my rights lady, American or not! You can't force a minor into an unbreakable vow without the authority of a guardian and that's a fact! My parents drilled that into my head often enough during dinner talk so try again."

" _Isolt above Sarah, shut up!_ " Jenelle frantically tried to shush her crazy friend, but Sarah whacked away her hands. Their squabble was interrupted by chuckling, and they turned to see both the Unspeakable and Dumbledore laughing openly at them. Jenelle could feel the mortification crawling up her spine as her face heated.

"Please relax, Miss Dubois," Dumbledore spoke over his mirth, his eyes dancing as he smiled at her. "Sarah is right. There is no way Madam Spectre can force you two to make an unbreakable vow, I do believe the term is that she was 'messing around' with you?"

Sarah smiled awkwardly. "Oh."

"' _Oh_ ' indeed, little one." Spectre seemed amused now, judging by her body language. Jenelle hoped it would be enough to stave off that 'remote cell' option.

"So then, what's going to happen to us?" Jenelle asked hesitantly, "What is it that you need to tell us?"

The mood became somber again. "I was not lying that what I have to tell you next must be kept an absolute secret unless forces beyond your control push you otherwise, in which case, you will confer with me as your advisor before making any permanent decisions, is that clear?"

 _Wow, she's giving off some serious mom glares right now._

Sarah and Jenelle both nodded without hesitation, they didn't have a problem with that, and they had no plans to talk about their situation with anyone. Spectre seemed satisfied with them and continued speaking.

"Alright you two, here's the truth, and it's a doozy. Unknown to all but a select few, certain studies have been carried out in absolute secrecy by the Department of Mysteries. For the last hundred years, the aim has been to confirm the existence of planes of existence parallel to our own, and one theory in particular has been tested heavily. That theory is the idea that branching realities are created every instance that an individual travels through time without the assistance of a Time-Turner. Your presence here is actually the breakthrough we needed to confirm this theory as truth."

Silence. Even Dumbledore seemed stunned.

"...E-excuse me?" Sarah asked shakily. Jenelle couldn't blame her. This was some serious Star-Trek level crazy right here.

The woman didn't flinch. "You heard me child, I won't repeat myself. The less said about it the better, but the reason I'm even telling you this is because of the sheer influence you two have on this timeline and as such, I need to stress how important it is that you girls one: don't actively make changes, and two: get back to the future as soon as possible. If things get hairy, your timeline in the future won't be your timeline anymore when you return, understand?"

"Holy crap," Sarah whispered, slumping in her chair in stunned disbelief. Jenelle was mirroring her friend's position, her mind both reeling and frozen.

"To summarize," Spectre explained, "the longer you two are here, the more likely that you are creating a secondary timeline that will ultimately replace your original timeline. There will be no way for you to return to the future that you've known, so we need to work on speeding up your return trip to prevent this from happening."

Sarah no longer had her bravado, shaken by the gravity of the situation. "How?" she asked quietly, her eyes beseeching both the Unspeakable and the Headmaster. "What can we do? I- I don't want to never see my family again! I don't want to be here forever!" Her voice had risen in panic, and Jenelle placed a shaking hand on Sarah's shoulder, instantly quieting the other girl.

Dumbledore looked incredibly sad. "I understand my dear, believe me, I do," he soothed, summoning a crystal dish filled with little multi-colored candies. "Here, take a bit of chocolate and let it calm you." Sarah did as she was told, grabbing a second piece and handing it to Jenelle without being asked, which the blonde took gratefully. The flavors of sugar and cocoa soothed her nerves and allowed her to take a deep, calming breath. She looked down at her Slytherin robes and twisted her wand in the fabric.

Spectre watched them silently the entire time, waiting until things were calmer. "The last time travel incident of a similar nature to yours was, ironically, a graduate of Ilvermorny, who later wrote of his travels in a personal manuscript, which is believed to reside in the Ilvermorny library. My recommendation is that you two travel to your school over the winter holidays and find the book. See if it has any useful information. The Department of Mysteries is working on their own solution, as is MACUSA. It seems your country is willing to let us sort it out for now seeing as it happened on our soil, but they might insist on a meeting once you reach America."

Sarah and Jenelle nodded, feeling overwhelmed with the information presented to them. From his desk Dumbledore heaved a pitying sigh. "I will get in contact with Headmaster Fontaine in your stead and somewhat explain our situation, you need not worry about that. In the meantime, I want you both to continue attending your classes and spending time with your friends. There is no need for you two to live in constant fear during your stay at Hogwarts."

"But Sir," Jenelle protested weakly. _Dumbledore didn't know, couldn't know about his future, about what would happen in the coming decades._

She understood that. It didn't make it any easier to think about.

"My dear girls," he spoke gently, getting up and moving around his desk so that he could kneel in front of the two of them. Jenelle could feel tears welling up behind her eyes, and knew that Sarah wasn't doing much better.

"You two never asked for any of this, I know that." He spoke with such a gentle understanding that Jenelle couldn't help but believe him, believe that he knew exactly what thoughts were plaguing her mind and her heart. "That is why I want your time here to be full of joy and good memories, something that you can look back and smile upon. You are both still so young, with the whole world just starting to open up to you. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you keep your smiles, do you trust me in that?"

Jenelle gave a small sob. "Yes, Sir."

"Yes Sir," Sarah echoed, her eyes hardening in determination as she dried her tears furiously.

"Good. Now, I think the best thing for you right both is some time to contemplate, so I wonder if you've ever stumbled across a very peculiar room on the seventh floor, across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy?"

Jenelle and Sarah flinched.

"Oh, so you have," he chuckled at the signs of recognition in their eyes. "Well then, you have my permission to spend the rest of the evening relaxing in however a manner you see fit. I'll be sure to let your Heads of House know I'm keeping you busy."

They thanked him, standing to leave and giving quiet thanks to Spectre as well.

"You are welcome, young ones," she said in response. "We will be in touch."

Jenelle shivered as she walked out of the door with Sarah at the rear. That was not a promise she really wanted to see fulfilled.


	53. Chapter 53 - Much Drama Most High School

CHAPTER 53 - Much Drama, Most High-School

* * *

"Oh Sirius! I was wondering if you could help me with some of my Transfiguration homework tonight? You're so amazing in the class!"

"Sirius, do you think you could give me a few pointers on flying? I'm just so clumsy when it comes to a broom!"

"Oh wow, is that a new shirt, Sirius? It really accentuates your looks, there probably isn't a guy half as handsome as you in the whole school!"

"It never ends," Sarah said with a twitching eye, watching in disbelief as Sirius was bombarded nonstop by a bevy of Hogwarts girls where he sat at the Gryffindor dinner table, all looking to get into his pants and get _her_ out of the picture.

"It's disgusting, more like," Lily was doing enough glaring for the two of them, eyeing the popular boy like one would a flobberworm. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Sarah _really_ wanted to, but she told herself that she would work on trusting Sirius more ever since the night of the Quidditch match, and this was a very important step. A near impossible, bile-inducing step, but important.

To his credit, Sirius seemed to be handling this much more gracefully than she would have given him credit for a few weeks ago. Had they still been secretive about their relationship, Sarah had no doubt that Sirius would be reveling in all the female attention he was receiving. Now though he was actually rebuffing their affections, albeit with smiles that were a touch too sensual for Sarah's comfort.

Sirius would be Sirius, it seemed.

She'd had her own share of problems as well. Just the other night, Jenelle and Sarah had been walking to dinner when they'd been ambushed by a Ravenclaw. With a sneer on her face she introduced herself as Alessa Carmichael and declared that Sirius was hers.

"Are you certifiably insane?" Jenelle asked incredulously, eying the girl up and down in baffled wonder. "Last time I checked, your name wasn't Sarah."

Carmichael tossed her hair over her shoulder in a move that just _had_ to have been practiced. "Sirius and I dated for _four_ months," she spat like it was an accomplishment worthy of praise. "He and I were just on a break for the summer before you came along and ruined everything!"

"Woah, back up there, crazy person," Sarah held up her hands jokingly, but her eyes were anything but. "Look, you had your chance, and you obviously dropped the quaffle somewhere, so why don't you just back off before I make you?" She ended her sentence with a pointed look as she twirled Thorin between her fingers, an obvious threat in the motion.

"Hah!" white teeth flashed as Carmichael scoffed. "You think a tiny little bint like you is scary?" she hissed out.

Jenelle took a step forward, but Sarah held her back. The Ravenclaw took it as a sign of weakness and continued her attack. "The only reason _my_ Sirius is with the likes of you is probably that he took pity on you!"

Sarah felt a bit insulted but more than anything she just felt tired; this was ridiculous. "So," she said slowly like she was talking to a two-year-old. "Sirius badgered, flirted, and pursued me since the _very beginning of the school year_ , then proceeded to announce our relationship to all and sundry, out of _pity?_ "

The other girl flushed but didn't back down, her voice reaching levels Sarah thought were only found in her Magical Creatures class. "You shut your trap! Just wait, Sirius is going to come to his senses soon enough and drop you like the foreign filth you are!"

"Oh that's _it_ ," Jenelle spat out, drawing her wand and shouting " _P_ _ilorum Destruam!_ "

Carmichael shrieked in surprise and pain as her shining, gilded tresses were pulled every which way by Jenelle's jinx, making it look like the girl had just been electrified. "OW! OW! You stupid snake bitch! _Impedimenta!_ "

"You _must_ be stupid," Jenelle said flatly as she allowed the jinx to hit her full on. "A tripping jinx on an unmoving target? How did you even _pass_ fourth-year DADA?"

"Must have been due to her charming vocals, Jen," Sarah smirked viciously, "I bet all the monsters flee when they hear her coming. Probably think a banshee is about to get them with the way this one wails."

"You little whore! _Incindio!_ " Her hair still tugging painfully at her roots, Carmichael raised her wand again and tried to actually _burn_ Sarah, who ducked to the side as the fire spell whizzed over her shoulder. She and Jenelle both grew serious at the violent spell, but things ground to a halt when another voice broke their confrontation.

"My word! Montagnard! Waterbrooke! Stop this at once! _Finite Incantum!_ "

"Professor Flitwick!" Carmichael cried piteously, her eyes tearing up at the sight of her Head of House. "They attacked me for no reason! I didn't do anything!"

"Is that so, Miss Carmichael," a voice of coated frost intoned, and Sarah and Jenelle watched with glee as the little liar balked at the judgemental look from the Charms Professor.

"What? I-of _course_ Professor!" her eyes widened as she wrung her hands, "You're going to believe _them_ over me?"

"I believe what my eyes and ears tell me, Miss Carmichael," he responded sternly, "and I was not five feet away when I saw you cast a fire spell at Miss Waterbrooke that could have caused _severe_ injury! How dare you!"

 _Ahaha. I love it._ Sarah was in heaven as the short man continued to tear Carmichael a new one.

"Detention for the next week and fifty points from Ravenclaw, Miss Carmichael!" he barked out, "and I shall leave it up to _you_ to explain to your housemates just why our House has fallen to last place!"

He turned to Sarah and Jenelle with an apologetic look. "Miss Waterbrooke, Miss Montagnard, if you wouldn't mind, I have a student to escort to Headmaster Dumbledore."

Sarah nodded as innocently as she could. "Sure, no problem, Professor, we'll just be on our way then." Jenelle and Sarah booked it like a vampire running from daylight until they found themselves at the outer courtyard, giggling a mile a minute.

" _Isolt and James_ I love justice," Sarah managed to get out over her tears of hilarity. Next to her, Jenelle wasn't much of a better position, clutching her stomach as she shook with the force of her laughter.

"That twat had it coming," Jenelle responded, and they moved to take a seat on a nearby bench.

Jenelle became much more solemn as she looked to Sarah in concern. "You okay though?" she asked gently, "It might have been a bunch of bull, but those were still some harsh things that girl said."

Sarah went quiet, thinking over what just happened as she focused on the quiet nature around her. She knew that Carmichael was only the start. She'd already gotten a lot of hateful looks at breakfast today when Sirius had kissed her in front of everyone without hesitation.

She parted her lips, the words slow but unhesitating. "It's fine," she smiled, "I can handle it."

 _Is it though? Can I handle it?_

* * *

"It's not fine," Sarah later muttered to herself in the Great Hall as yet _another_ girl cozied up to Sirius within her line of fight. Sarah was about ten seconds away from warding off all other girls with an assortment of sharp pointy objects, detention and possibly Azkaban aside.

"Merlin, it's like they came crawling out of the woodwork," Lily gaped in astonishment as a set of _twins_ now moved in from a few seats down. "Black isn't even _that_ good-looking! What is _wrong_ with girls?"

"I'd agree, but apparently I'm one of the crazies too, remember?" Sarah asked sardonically, fingering her dinner knife absently.

"Down girl," Lily plucked the knife out of her hands, ignoring Sarah's small whine.

" _Fine_ , take away my fun." Sarah huffed and crossed her arms.

Lily giggled slightly. "You need to get Black _away_ from all those floozies," She tapped at her chin absently as her eyes drifted upwards in thought. "Where in the world can you go where you two _won't_ be found?"

 _Ding._

"I predict cookies in your future, oh great and wise one."

Lily snorted, looking amused at the plotting expression that had taken over Sarah's face. "I'll take brownies this time, please."

"Done."

* * *

She managed to separate her boyfriend from his horde after dinner, running at a dead sprint with his hand in hers until there was no way that they were being followed. She teasingly instructed him to close his eyes and follow her lead, which brought out the playful side of Sirius. It took a lot longer to make the three passes necessary to summon the Room of Requirement as she had to fend off his wandering hands the entire time, but eventually she led him through the magically created door and into the perfect room.

She had to hand it to the castle; the Room of Requirement knew exactly what to transform into, providing a cozy little setting with a warm, crackling fire and an extra large sofa to lounge on. They'd both kicked off their shoes and socks to get comfortable in the beginning and Sirius had tossed his shirt somewhere about five minutes ago.

She was on her back now, Sirius draped over her and radiating heat as only a young man can do. The feeling of being trapped under him had her breath hitching as he covered every inch of her body but the majority of her was content to get lost in the feeling of his tongue in her mouth, her hands in his hair, and his hips resting in the crook of her legs.

She hesitantly drew up her knees and crossed her ankles behind his thighs, and was rewarded with a gentle thrust of his hips that sent shivers up her back and out of her mouth in the form of a small gasp. With her shirt halfway unbuttoned it was easy for his right hand to start carefully working the clasp of her bra, and for a moment she froze in a fit of nerves. He must have sensed it, for he increased the pressure of his mouth on hers, distracting her mind from what his hand was doing until it started sliding around to her front.

Her breath hesitated. "Sirius..." She wasn't sure what she wanted to say. Everything up until now had felt so good, but she'd never gone this far with anyone and she was terrified of the unknown.

"Shh," he whispered back, his mouth moving down to suckle at her neck. She ran her fingers through ashen waves, anticipation and dread curling in her stomach as his questing fingers slid under the loosened fabric of her bra to brush over uncovered skin.

A shaky exhale passed over swollen lips as he massaged her breast; this wasn't so bad, it was just skin, nothing that special. Then she flinched as his fingers began pinching and tugging gently, nerves once again rose.

" _Sirius._ "

"Shh, it's alright love, just relax," he soothed, his hand retreating briefly only to start working the final three buttons of her school shirt. She let him slide the fabric and the straps of her bra off of her shoulders and then her arms entirely, and he sat up to take her in.

Her top was discarded onto the floor below, leaving her bare from the waist up, and she felt his eyes trail like burning fire up and down her torso. She crossed her arms, her hands coming up to hide her chest from him.

"Don't," he growled out as he grabbed at her wrists, tugging gently, but she pulled back. "What's wrong, Waterlily?"

Her face couldn't get any hotter, she was sure of it. "I...just-," she choked out, refusing to meet his gaze.

How could she give voice to her insecurities? _They're too small, they aren't big enough, they're not what he wants._ Her mind was whirling with doubt but the words caught in her throat. Pride and something very like fear stopped her from speaking any more, all she could do was examine the crimson fabric of the sofa and hope he understood.

He ripped her hands away to pin her wrists next to her shoulders, leaning in for a harsh kiss that tilted her world on its axis. "You're amazing" he murmured against her lips, "I can barely look away," and it wasn't what she wanted to hear exactly, but it was enough for her to meet his enthusiasm with her own.

He rolled them without warning, causing her to gasp as bare skin met her own sending shivers down to her toes. She threw her all into kissing him, desperate to focus on anything else but her newfound state of undress, but it wasn't long before his lips trailed away again. She braced her trembling hands on the cushion below her as he left a wet path from her mouth down her neck. He paused, lavishing the skin there with a little extra attention, then shifted her body forward with gentle prodding until he was eye level with his goal.

Her chin dropped to her collarbone as an airy gasp tore out of her. Her now shaking arms gave out and she dropped to her elbows instead, but he didn't stop, shifting to attend the other side of her chest and letting his hand take over the place his mouth had just occupied.

"Merlin, love, you taste good," he groaned against her skin, and she couldn't answer with how far gone she was. With her eyes firmly shut, darkness and the sensation of _feeling_ surrounded her, offset by the crackle of the fire, the creak of springs underneath them, and the wet sounds coming from below.

So lost in the moment she was that nothing else registered until she felt his hands caress the slopes of her ribs and hips to cup her rear, pulling her hips down to meet his own. The world snapped back to terrifying clarity when she felt something _different_ , terror overtaking her as she realized just what was rubbing against her.

Her eyes flew open with an accompanying gasp, "Wait!" She threw herself up and scuttled back until she hit the other end of the sofa, her legs drawn up to her chest and her eyes blown wide with fright.

"Wha-? Love, what's wrong?" Sirius looked completely bewildered at her sudden absence, but even then it was impossible to ignore just how _sinful_ he looked. Her gaze quickly scanned from head to toe against her will, taking in tousled hair, ruddy cheeks, heaving chest and…

 _Oh hell no._

She stammered, not exactly sure how to word her feelings but absolutely needed to get it out no matter what. "I-I," she wet her lips nervously, "I wanna stop!"

He look of shock held for a second before it melted into harsh frustration. He dragged a hand through his hair, looking away and exhaling heavily. She felt a little guilty at the sight of his clenched jaw and the grip he held on the fabric at his thigh but didn't reach out to him as she normally would. This was as far as she could go right now. She just _couldn't_ do anything more.

"Bloody buggering _hell_!" he cursed in a sudden explosion of anger, and she flinched into the sofa arm. His face smoothed out in regret as he reached out a hand to rub up and down her arm in comfort.

"Hey," he crooned out gently, leaning in to try and wrap her up in his arms. "It's alright. We don't have to do anything you don't want to." She allowed him to come closer, her panic fading as he smoothed his hands up and down her arms. Slowly, slowly, her muscles relaxed, and she took in a deeper breath, exhaling slowly through her nose.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, resting her head against his chest, "I'm, I'm just not ready."

He reached over the edge of the couch to grab her shirt, placing the wrinkled garment around her front and giving her a much-needed feeling of protection. "It's alright," he said again, giving her a waggle of his eyebrows, "Maybe next time, eh?"

She laughed weakly at his attempt to lighten the mood, but as she moved to give him a simple peck she couldn't help but feel troubled. Sirius was much more comfortable with touch than she was. He would never force her to do anything, she knew that with an iron certainty, but still...

The shadows still danced in merry shapes on the walls that surrounded them, but their cheerful excitement dimmed as the shadows seemed to grow. She shivered, and even the heat from Sirius and his embrace could not dispel her growing unease.


	54. Chapter 54 - Confrontations New and Old

CHAPTER 54 - Confrontations

* * *

"Hey, Waterbrooke! We want to have a word with you!"

"Yeah, how about no?" Sarah said flatly, turning away from the group of high and mighty girls and towards her next class. Potions didn't start for another half hour but like hell was she going to wait around in the halls when she had been jumped four times already.

The leader of the latest pack of three narrowed her glassy green eyes and made to grab Sarah's sleeve. "Now just wait one second you little-"

"Is there a problem here?" a dark voice intoned silkily, and Sarah smirked as the blood from all three girls' faces drained.

"Oh hey, Snape, what's shakin'?" She called out over their shoulders, and her timely friend appeared from around the corner, rolling his wand between his fingers lazily.

He smirked, taking in the girls with a look of contempt. "From the sight of things? I'd say three cowardly little mice. It would appear that the famed Gryffindor courage flies away in the face of more than one opponent, wouldn't you agree, Waterbrooke?"

The girl in the back, rail-thin blonde, seemed to have found her wayward courage and was glaring at the Slytherin boy. "Piss off, Snivellus," she hissed, "why the hell are you coming to her aid anyway? Don't tell me she's spreading her legs for you too."

Before Severus could justifiably hex her to oblivion Sarah spoke up with a nonchalant air. "If anyone here's been spreading their legs I'd say it's _you_ , Umberland, or was that incident in the broom closet with Lighthaven a week ago just a very awkward coincidence?"

She sputtered, her face turning red at the accusation. "Shut your mouth you foreign little tramp! Sirius is _much_ too good for an slit-eyed Oriental like you, so why don't you do everyone a favor and go back to the whorehouse you came from?"

"Certainly, darlin'" she responded flatly, "I'll make sure to say hi to all your moms while I'm there."

"You _bitch!_ " All three raised their wands, but they were too slow for Severus and Sarah, who hit them with a few hexes and jinxes that left them in a pile of itchy limbs and new _additions_.

Sarah barked out a laugh. "Hah! Nice one, Sev, are those poodle ears?"

"It seemed appropriate," he responded lightly, "considering how much they resemble the females of the species."

"Straight up," she agreed before kneeling down to the paralyzed pile in front of her. "Well now, bless y'all poor little hearts," she taunted, revelling in their tears of mortification, "maybe next you can bring an army and _then_ it might be a fair fight." With that she stood and spun around, leaving her attackers for some other poor, unfortunate soul to stumble across. Severus was quick to trail after her, smirking the whole while as he pulled up next to her and matched her strides.

"You're shaking," he pointed out idly, and she was furious to notice that he was right; she thought she'd been hiding it better.

"The opinions of little girls throwing tantrums shouldn't matter a whit to you, Waterbrooke." His tone was mocking, but there was an undercurrent of sincerity that took the sting out of his words.

"That's the fifth time this _week_ , damn it." Sarah felt helpless, not knowing what to do. So far her aggressors had been secretive, never confronting her when Sirius or anyone else was around and usually falling back on words only to enforce their threats. Today was the first time that someone had drawn a wand on her though, and it scared her how quickly things were escalating.

Severus raised an eyebrow at her confession, looking down at her in scrutiny. "Does Black know of this?"

She snorted. "Like hell, I'm not going to hide behind him like some pathetic little weakling that can't deal with her own problems."

"Admirable, if you're a _lion_ ," he disparaged, and she shoved him jokingly but none too gently.

"Thunderbird, remember?" she teased. "Caw caw."

He looked aggrieved, like he was just struck with a headache. " _Please_ don't tell me you're the reason Montagnard blurts those words out randomly."

"Okay, I won't."

"You, madam, are a walking nightmare."

"I'm okay with that." They'd reached Slughorn's classroom by now, which was completely empty due to how early they were. Sarah moved to the far side of the room and sat in the back, choosing the seat with the knowledge that no one would be able to curse her from behind during class now.

Severus slid into the seat next to hers; an uncommon action as he usually preferred to keep their friendship on the down low. "You know," he led as he began unpacking his bookbag, "none of this would have happened if you'd not given into Black like every other airheaded twit in this school."

"Aww, after everything else I've been called all week, 'air-headed twit' actually sounds sweet!"

He pinned her with a glare, and she smiled back. "Adorable," he mocked, "that face is quite believable, I must say."

She sighed, feeling tired all of a sudden. "He's no angel, Sev, and I'll never call him that," she admitted freely. "But for some stupid reason I like the guy. I just, never thought he would come with _quite_ this much baggage. It's very Scott Pilgrim-esque."

"Who?" he questioned in confusion before shaking his head. "Nevermind, it's one of _those_ references, I take it?"

 _Those_ _standing for_ ' _future._ '

She forgot sometimes how much Severus actually knew about her and Jenelle's situation, considering how he hardly ever brought it up. Doing so now made her grimace as she remembered the visit from Spectre and her ominous words.

"Things are getting pretty bad on that side, Severus," she whispered, catching his interest.

"What do you mean?" he asked softly, pretending to be completely involved in arranging a set of vials by order of size and type rather than listening to her.

"We shouldn't still be here, you know," she explained, "it's not normal. We should have been back at Ilvermorny much sooner than now."

"I'll pretend that you don't know _why_ and simply skip ahead to 'so what are you going to do about it?'"

She pulled out her textbook and slammed it a bit too harshly onto the desk, the sound echoing around them. "Winter break. We're going to the U.S. to do some research. With any luck, we'll find the answer and get moving."

His movements stilled, his gaze locked on the cauldron in front of him.

Eventually he spoke up. "I see," he said flatly, starting to move again with a noticeable jerk in his arms. "That's it then?"

She looked at him softly, knowing his true problem. "We were never supposed to be here to begin with, Sev. Every second has just been, _borrowed time_."

He sneered, still not meeting her eyes. "Seems to me that if you knew you weren't going to be around permanently, there should have been no reason to make connections while you were here."

"Sev, I _like_ the people here," she put a hand on his arm, stilling his agitated movements. "I'm only human Sev, and I _wanted_ to get to know you. So did Jenelle. You're _worth_ getting to know."

He looked up at her, shock and a small hint of vulnerability in his eyes as he stared into her own.

She spoke sincerely. "I'm so sorry that almost no one has seen how amazing you are, Severus Snape. You're going to become one of the bravest people I've ever known."

He looked shaken at that premonition. "W-what are you talking about?" he questioned hesitantly.

She paused, unsure if she should continue talking, but then she remembered everything she'd ever learned about this boy in front of her; a boy with a horribly lonely future in front of him, and decided that he deserved to hear it from _someone_.

"Just, just know that in my opinion, you've always been a hero, Sev. Don't forget it, okay?" Her eyes begged him to not ask anything more from her, and he must have understood based on the shallow nod she received.

He abruptly ripped his arm away from her, huffing and going back to fiddling with his stuff, but his curtain of greasy hair couldn't hide the blush on his cheeks and she smiled fondly at him, knowing it was probably pissing him off even more.

"Wipe that look off your face, you incessantly annoying midget."

"Aww, you love me."

"Like I love the taste of Polyjuice."

"Sooo, like, I linger in your mind then?"

"Waterbrooke!"

They shared a laugh, unknowing of the figure that had just arrived and was now lingering in the shadows beyond the doorway. A hand gripped tight around the wooden frame as Sirius watched his girlfriend interact with the person he probably hated the most in all of Hogwarts.


	55. Chapter 55 - Hit and Hold Your Ground

CHAPTER 55 - Hit and Hold Your Ground

* * *

Sirius was uncommonly silent as the Marauders sat around in the library, finishing up their homework. Remus knew that Sirius and James were transfiguration geniuses and hardly ever needed to look at their materials to intrinsically grasp concepts that flew over the heads of their peers, but Sirius hadn't touched his book all night. Instead he'd chosen to sit and glower, bringing down the cheer of the entire table for the past two hours without a single explanation.

Remus let it be, positive that eventually Sirius wouldn't be able to hold himself back and would explode in a cathartic rant. That, or James would just force Padfoot to talk.

Just as predicted, it only took another stress-filled twenty minutes for James to break, tossing a crumpled piece of parchment at the surly boy's head. "Godric's puffy pantaloons, Padfoot, what's eating you _now_?"

Sirius slapped away the parchment before it could reach his face in a display of his excellent Quidditch reflexes, pinning Prongs with a heated glare.

"Have any of you been checking on ol' Snivellus lately?"

Peter looked up from his messily scrawled essay, frowning in confusion. "Snivelly? He'd been pretty silent lately, why?"

The look on Sirius' face wasn't pretty; in fact, Remus would say it was downright _ugly_.

"He's been sniffing around where he doesn't belong. I think he's been long overdue for a _visit_ from us anyway, don't you agree, Prongs?"

Prongs shrugged, looking unruffled. "You know me, Padfoot, I'm always up for buggering up Snivellus' day, but what brought this on?"

Sirius scowled, the legs of the chair he'd been leaning back in hitting the floor with a crack. "Since when have we ever needed a reason to teach that git a lesson?" he demanded, and Remus was instantly suspicious.

"He's been spending more time around Waterbrooke, hasn't he?" Remus asked, and was met with three pairs of disbelieving eyes.

" _You knew?_ " Sirius hissed, his entire body radiating betrayal, but Remus didn't falter.

" _You_ knew too, you moron," he shot back hotly, "Sarah _and_ Jenelle have both mentioned before that they have study sessions with Evans and Snape for DADA and nonverbal casting."

James was now the one to sport a betrayed look. " _What?_ " he demanded quietly, not wanting them to get kicked out of the library. "Since when?!"

Remus shrugged. "Since near the beginning of the year, as far as I can tell. Don't tell me you don't remember Sarah telling us that she was holding tutoring classes with people separate from _our_ practices because 'we would get along like oil and water?'"

"She never said it was _Snivellus!_ " Sirius exploded, a fist slamming onto the table in his fury. The three other Marauders winced, looking around furtively for the sound of the librarian coming to throw them out, but luckily there was only silence.

"Merlin, Padfoot, calm down," James groused, pulling out his wand and casting a _muffliato_. "There," he huffed, " _now_ you can be as pissy as you need to be."

"I have every right!" Sirius defended loudly, his eyes blazing with anger. "If it's not that creep Malfoy, it's _another_ slimy snake thinking he can worm his way between me and Waterlily and I'll go back to 12 Grimmauld Place on my knees before I let that happen!"

"Malfoy?" Peter spoke up, looking at Sirius in trepidation. "What are you talking about, Padfoot?"

Remus was curious too. Sirius had never mentioned anything about Lucius Malfoy, although they'd all noticed how ever since the Harvest Ball Sirius had become much more antagonistic towards the pureblood-minded egomaniac.

Sirius looked like he was struggling to put his emotions into words, gnashing his teeth as his jaw worked furiously. "He, he said some things that night, at the Ball," Sirius ground out. "I thought he was just talking out his arse, trying to get a rise out of me, but lately I'm not so sure."

"What kind of things, Pads?" James asked, looking uncommonly focused.

Sirius spat out his next words. "Some rubbish about how I should basically watch my back, or else he might try and steal Sarah all for himself."

"That's a load of dragon dung," Remus spoke up, "He's engaged to your cousin, isn't he? The Blacks and the Malfoys would _never_ break that off for someone as unknown as Waterbrooke, no offense of course.."

"See, I thought so too," Sirius argued, "but just the _way_ he said some things then, and the way he's been talking to her lately? I think he's actually been harassing Waterlily for a while now, and..."

Sirius hesitated, which set off alarms in Remus' mind. Sirius _never_ second-guessed his words. The fact that he was doing so now showed how serious he was being.

"...I think he may have talked to his father about arranging something between him and Waterlily."

"No bloody way." James shook his head vehemently. "There's no way. Sarah's nice, sure, but there's no _reason_ for Malfoy to do that. She'd have to be pure blooded at the very least right?"

"Who's to say she isn't?" Remus' words grabbed the attention of everyone at the table, but he was too busy reviewing old memories in his head to acknowledge them. "James, Sirius, you were there during Slughorn's Party, remember? Didn't Sarah look uncommonly panicked when Malfoy and the Professor started talking about powerful families of the States?"

"Blimey," James breathed out, "I'd forgotten all about that. We all got so caught up in Monty's health, then Siri and Sarah got together right afterwards..."

Sirius looked torn between anxiety and impatience. "So, what?" he challenged, his arms crossing defensively. "Waterlily might be from an old family, doesn't make her _Dark._ There's _no way_ that's true, and the Malfoys would never go for a Light family, influential or not." He looked disgusted discussing pureblood politics as if it brought him right back to bad memories with the Black family's scheming and plotting.

"Have you asked her, Sirius?" Peter spoke up, and Sirius shook his head.

"Yeah, a day or so after the Ball, actually." Sirius looked uneasy about his next words. "She said that he's been an antagonizing git, but nothing out of the ordinary for a snake."

Remus made an agreeing gesture. "There you go then, Padfoot," he said. "It's not like _you_ like talking about your family either, so if you plan on bringing it up just make sure you _try_ to be patient. Maybe she hasn't said anything for reasons similar to your own."

Padfoot looked mutinous but eventually nodded slowly. " _Fine_ ," he spat out. "I'll talk to her about it soon. In the meantime though..."

Sirius' eyes held that dangerous glint again, the look that always made Remus feel sick to his stomach.

"How about a little Snivelly hunt?"

* * *

Jenelle was curled up on the dark green sofa by the fireplace in the Slytherin common room. She had a few books stacked up on the side table and her quill was waiting patiently in it's inkwell, waiting to write the Potions essay Jenelle was dreading. She had a sketch pad on her lap that Remus had bought for her during their last trip to Hogsmeade and was absentmindedly sketching flower after flower with her neatly sharpened pencil.

She tugged on the fluffy brown scarf around her neck and flipped the end over her shoulder. It was getting colder now in Scotland and the dungeons were particularly drafty. The fire had started to die down and the last few pulses of warm air were whispering against her exposed ankles.

"Would it kill you to tend to the fire?" a gruff voice called out from behind her. Jenelle turned in her seat and looked over her shoulder, already smiling because she knew who the speaker was. But when she saw the dark blotches spread over Severus' face she felt her stomach lurch and her heart race in quick, skipping beats.

"Severus! What happened?" she asked in shock, placing her pad and pencil on the sofa and standing up to come around and inspect her friend. Severus cringed as she reached out to him and Jenelle pulled her hand back quickly.

"Nothing. Just a normal encounter with _your_ friend's depraved choice of life partner," Severus said quietly, with the slightest bit of trepidation in his voice.

 _Sirius, it had to be. There's no way Sarah would go along with this, it had to be his idea._

"Sev, Sarah would never condone that sort of thing. I know she seems intense, but she's your friend too, and you know she couldn't-"

"Well, apparently she _could_ allow it to happen."

"Why would you say that?" Jenelle asked apprehensively.

Severus shrugged off another helping hand of Jenelle's and walked over to the sofa. Jenelle noticed then that he was limping slightly and wouldn't uncross his arms over his chest. He was covered head-to-toe in his black pajamas but she could tell there were likely bruises in other places too. He sat gingerly on the far end of the sofa and Jenelle scurried over.

She pulled the heavy plaid blanket off the ottoman and ignored Severus' protests as she carefully draped it over his legs and took the seat next to him. She twisted her fingers about and did a quick wandless levitation charm, floating her empty mug over from the side table and transfigured the remaining water into a frothy, steaming cup of cocoa. She passed the cup to Severus who handled it tentatively and took a sip, easing back into the crook of the seat.

"Will you tell me what happened?" Jenelle asked gently.

Severus looked at her uncomfortably with a scowl on his lips, but after a moment of the unbreaking gaze he turned back to his cup and sighed. "I almost don't know what it is about me that they find so repulsive."

"What do you mean, 'almost'?"

"You should know," he said sarcastically, "being sorted into Slytherin seems enough to warrant any number of persistent, ugly comments or the occasional bashing."

"I've had mean things said about me, of course, but no one has ever harmed me physically. I seem to do a fine job of that on my own…" Jenelle added the last part quietly. Severus looked up and passed his gaze over her face. He was too steely to show any real pity, but in his current state he was likely too tired to know how he was staring at her.

Jenelle shook her head tightly and turned back to him.

"Anyways, was it Black? Potter?" she pushed.

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters! They need to be punished for this!"

"It won't fix anything. And besides, the _golden boys_ are too untouchable. They have their whole house eating out of their hands, and now Waterbrooke is getting swept up as well."

"I wouldn't say that..."

"No? And how much have you seen of your Gryffindor mate lately? Seems to be pretty preoccupied with her new pet, wouldn't you say?" he spat harshly.

"Well I-" Jenelle started, starting to doubt herself. It was true, she hadn't spoken seriously with Sarah in awhile, not since Black's birthday dinner. She had figured they were both busy studying for exams and didn't want to bother her. But perhaps it had more to do with Black and his drama than their mounting Potions practicum.

She instantly felt bad. Could she have done more to prevent this? If she had been there, perhaps she could have put Black in his place before Severus had been harmed. That smirky, cocky bastard; what on earth did Sarah see in him?

 _And Remus? He wouldn't do anything like that, would he?_

As if reading her mind, Severus took another sip of his cocoa and looked off into the fire. "He was there too," he said shortly. Jenelle's eyes widened and her mouth went slack, ready to protest. But she knew in her heart that if the Marauders acted at all, they acted together.

"Sev, I'm so sorry," she said helplessly, starting to cry.

"Why? It's not your fault."

"But I could have done something to help."

Severus scoffed. "You seriously believe you would have stepped in and took the blows yourself? From your best friend's boyfriend, from _your_ boyfriend?" He made an ugly snorting noise and leaned over to place the mug on the table beside him. As he stretched he grimaced and clutched at the sore spot on his ribs. Jenelle felt her throat tighten in guilt.

"I-, I want to believe I would have done something," she said.

"You and every other student that was watching," Severus said shortly.

"Every other? There were people around?"

"Oh yes, they all got a right laugh out of it I wager. A raucous event; dinner and a show. I should start charging a fee," he said, dabbing a finger lightly to the bruise on his eye.

"That's disgusting! Someone should have stood up for you!"

He paused, his eyes betraying his feelings for just a moment. "Someone did."

Jenelle looked at him blankly for a moment before she figured it out. Of course, Lily would do anything for Severus. They were joined at the hip, far more than Lily and James, which was probably motivation enough for James to want to hurt the boy.

"I'm glad you have her, Lily," said Jenelle gently.

"I don't have her."

"Of course you do. Look at what she's willing to do for-"

"I DO. NOT. HAVE HER," he said loudly, the sound of his voice reverberating off the stone walls and bouncing back at them, only emphasizing his point.

"No, no you're right. It's not the same. I understand," Jenelle agreed. "Had you ever, I don't know, considered telling her how you feel?"

He chuckled meanly. "And what? Parade ourselves around the school like _your friend_ and that dolt Black? Look what that got her, getting hounded by jealous birds day in and day out. I wouldn't do that to Lily." Severus was the only boy that Jenelle had ever heard call Lily by her first name. It made what Severus was saying all the more heartbreaking to hear.

"I wish you would stop calling Sarah 'your friend', like you don't have any relationship to her at all," Jenelle said grimly.

Severus huffed. "She is an acquaintance at best. There's nothing advantageous about being friends with a Gryffin-git."

Jenelle raised an eyebrow at him. "Except Lily."

He caught her glare and conceded. "Except Lily."

"You know, Sarah is my Lily. Maybe not exactly the same, but I would do anything for her, and I would rather someone hex me into puking up slugs for an lifetime than let someone hurt her." That got the slightest smirk out of the corner of Severus' mouth and Jenelle laughed lightly, glad to be changing the mood up a bit.

"Not a pleasant visual, is it?"

"Ghastly, to tell the truth."

"I wonder what they taste like…"

"Why, on Merlin's green earth would you wonder such a thing?" Severus asked abhorred. "You Americans are truly a... unique breed."

"The colonial apple doesn't fall far from the tree, don'tcha think?"

He laughed at that and Jenelle leaned over his lap to grab the mug of cocoa, pressing it into his hands. "Drink. It'll help you heal. We can't have any Gryffindors seeing a Slytherin like this."

He nodded agreeably and took another drink, downing the last of the contents in one go. Jenelle clapped in approval and they continued to chat in the dim light of the fire until the two of them had curled up in the early hours of the morning fast asleep upon the sofa.


	56. Chapter 56 - The Weight of Friendship

CHAPTER 56 - The Weight of Friendship

* * *

Seeing Snivellus suspended by his bony ankles with dirty robes covering the prat's disgusting gob and hilariously pathetic boxers on display in all their washed out glory was therapeutic to Sirius in ways that he hadn't even known he'd needed.

Too bad Evans had to ruin everything.

" _WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!_ "

Sirius could feel his ears ringing as he rubbed at them, greatly annoyed. "Bloody hell, Evans," he complained as she glared him and the other Marauders down, "you want me to go deaf, is that it?"

"I'd rather you all grow up!"

James was no help at all, looking like a puffed up peacock as he tried to make himself sound more 'mature.' "I could show you just how _grown up_ I am, Evans." Prongs gave a waggle of his eyebrows, "How about I prove it, say at Slughorn's Winter Social?"

Evans looked ready to pop like a firecracker with fury, her face starting to match her hair. "I'd rather get eaten by the Giant Squid, you arrogant toerag of a bullying prat!"

She raised her wand, and Sirius immediately went on the defensive. Prong's love interest or not he didn't fancy getting hexed anytime soon. "Woah there, Evans," he cautioned, "don't do something you'll regret."

Evans threw her head back and laughed, to the stunned silence of the Marauders and the group of spectators they'd amassed. She stopped abruptly, walking forward until she was face to face with Sirius. She drew even closer until they were almost chest to chest, and the only reason Sirius didn't blast her where she stood was due to her next words.

"You'll be _full_ of regret after Sarah hears about this."

Sirius felt his gut clench painfully as his lungs froze, and for a second he felt panic. He ruthlessly shoved it down, towering over the smaller girl in an attempt at intimidation. "You mention _anything_ to Waterlily and I'll-"

"You'll _what?_ " she cut him off with a scoff, sneering up at him with a face so similar to Snape it was very possible to see how the two had been friends for years. "You think even without my help she's somehow _not_ going to hear about how you and your band of bullies attacked one of her friends? If I don't tell her, Montagnard will. And if _Montagnard_ doesn't, there's no way she won't hear about it, because you idiots just _had_ to make a spectacle of yourselves, like always!"

Her voice had risen at the end until Evans was in a full-blown shout. Her last words echoed throughout the air of the courtyard, suspended amidst vapors of breath in the cold winter air and the chilling breeze. Out of the corner of his eye Sirius could see James looking torn, and he felt a rush of hatred that this bossy, nosey bint had the power to come between him and his best mate.

"Drop Sev, _right now_." She looked at him without a smidgen of fear, and Sirius involuntarily found himself obeying, dropping Snivellus from his position a few feet above the ground and onto the hard earth with the lowering of his wand.

Evans quickly turned around to help the fallen Slytherin, although not without a barked order towards the students around them. "If I see _any_ of you still here in the next ten seconds it's detention and docked points for _everyone!_ "

That did the job of scattering the masses, leaving only the five Gryffindors and the shame-ridden snake.

Sirius stepped forward towards the two figures only to be stopped by a tight hand around his bicep. He glanced over his shoulder. It was Remus.

"Don't," Moony implored, his eyes asking feverently for Sirius not to do anything more, but he shrugged the werewolf off and kept moving.

As he approached he could see Snively tensing up, but with his wand feet away there was no way for the greasy git to attack. Evans whirled on him, her own wand raised defensively but Sirius wasn't worried. He'd had his fun, now it was time to make sure Snape _truly_ understood the message.

"Stay _away_ from Sarah, I'm through warning you," he growled out, his tone as uncompromising as anything his mother had ever said to him and his brother. He hated how useful such an ability was. "That goes for you _and_ that prick Malfoy."

Evans was shaking in anger, but it was Snape that spoke first. For all his flushed embarrassment and burning cheeks, the bastard still managed to pull off sounding condescending.

The other boy's words were like basilisk venom, oily and burning. "I knew you were pathetic, Black, but this is just sad. You're delusional if you think I'm interested in Waterbrooke, although that being said she'd probably be better off dating an actual pile of garbage than the personification of trash that you are."

Snivellus' gaze was mocking as he glared up through a swelling eye, remnants of his face plant into the ground a minute ago. "I don't know about Lucius' intentions with Sarah but if he _did_ pursue her, why would she ever say no? Lucius is the heir to a powerful pure-blood family, unlike your disowned hide. And he would treat her with respect and never force her into a public spectacle like _you_ do."

Sirius could feel ice running down his spine. It perfectly juxtaposed the fiendfyre growing in his heart.

"Shut your mouth, _Snape_ ," Prongs spoke up from behind Sirius, but the git pushed on, slapping away the insistent hands of Evans who looked supremely uncomfortable now.

The Slytherin continued to spit poison. " _Lucius_ would never promise to leave her 'friends' alone, then go behind her back and do exactly that!"

"She told you?" Sirius hissed out dangerously. How often, how _much_ did Sarah and Snivellus talk about together? Did she really trust Snively so much that she felt safe talking to him about her and Sirius' private conversations?

"Poor Sarah," Snape had the bollocks to ignore Sirius' question and instead shake his head, as if he _pitied_ the dark haired tower above him. "She already knows that you're an incorrigible flirt, you know. She worries constantly that you'll betray her for some meaningless fling, but still she makes excuses for you. Do you think she would continue to leap to your defence if she knew you were an honorless, backstabbing, _spineless-_ "

Sirius threw himself forward, his wand forgotten as his mind descended into a red haze, his only thought was that he wanted to cause Severus Snape _pain._

" _Petrificus Totalis!_ "

" _Levicorpus!_ "

He found himself both paralyzed and hovering a foot in the air as he was hit by two spells from behind. Prongs and Moony had stopped him.

"Evans," James' voice was uncommonly cold as he spoke to the shaken redhead from outside of Sirius' field of vision. "Get him out of our sight before I decide to let Padfoot go just for kicks."

Sirius was halfway in a flying lunge, but he could still see Evans heft up Snivellus' weight and rushing towards the infirmary. When the two figures were out of sight, Sirius fell back to the floor, the spells released. He stayed crouched where he'd landed, his eyes locked on the stone beneath his hands.

He could hear the telltale swish of robes coming up behind him, a voice hesitantly calling out. "Alright there, Pads?"

He wasn't.

* * *

Remus was absolutely livid as the four of them took the long way back to the dorms. He spent every second of the trip berating the two absolutely _moronic_ gits he called friends.

" _What is wrong with you two!_ " he demanded, about ready to tear his hair out. "Just what were you trying to accomplish you pair of pillocks?! You think you proved something today? You think that Lily will look at you any better?" he aimed at James, who flinched slightly but continued walking like nothing was wrong.

"And _you!_ " Remus was one self-righteous comment from decking Sirius. "If you think that Sarah is going to- to _swoon_ in your arms because big, bad, Sirius Black protected her from the evil Slytherins then you need to hang up your broom because I think you've taken one too many bludgers to the head you brainless _twat!_ "

"C-come on, Remus," Peter stuttered as he tried to keep up with their storming pace. "Snively shouldn't have been near Waterbrooke anyway, what was Sirius supposed to do?"

Remus exploded, rushing forward to stop Padfoot in his tracks. Sirius had yet to make eye contact with anyone ever since they'd left the corridor, his hair hiding his face as he ducked his chin the entire time they'd been walking.

Well, Remus wasn't having it.

He slammed his hands against Sirius' chest, pushing the boy backwards until he was pinned to the wall. Sirius finally looked up in shock, obviously not expecting the move.

"STOP ACTING LIKE A BLOODY IDIOT!" Remus screamed into the other boy's face. Sirius instantly tensed up, prepared to argue, but Remus wouldn't let him.

"The only thing you're doing right now is pushing her away, Sirius! If you keep lying to her, if you keeping going behind her back and attacking Snape or flirting with all those shallow girls you call admirers she's going to walk right out of your life and I wouldn't even be surprised if she went directly to Malfoy, just like you fear-"

" _Shut up, Remus._ "

Remus' eyes widened. That... Had that been _Sirius_?

In the entire time they'd been friends, Sirius had _never_ used that tone of voice with the Marauders. That amount of dark threat had been solely reserved for Snape or the rare times Sirius talked about his family.

"P-Padfoot," he spoke carefully, his grip loosening on the other boy's robes, but was interrupted when Sirius pushed him away forcefully. Remus stumbled backwards into James' supporting grasp, his eyes never leaving the darkened gaze of his friend.

"Sirius" came another voice, " _calm down_."

 _James_. _Thank Merlin for James._

Prongs was the _only_ one that Sirius ever truly listened to, as was evidenced right now. Sirius was breathing heavily, almost _shaking_ in rage, but the voice of his best friend visibly cut through the fires of his anger. Sirius took in a heaving breath, releasing it in a gust of frustration before ruffling his hair furiously.

"...Sorry, Moony." It was plain to see that Sirius was still upset, but the terrifying coldness was gone which Remus was extremely grateful for.

His mouth was dry, but Remus was able to croak out a response. "Me too, Pads."

The dark-haired teen slumped against the wall, like all the energy in his body had suddenly dissipated. The other Marauders immediately followed suit, moving to sit next to him on the cold stone floor in a show of support.

The air around them was silent save for the crackling torches above their heads that lined the hallways of Hogwarts. Remus let himself drift as he pretended that things were simpler: that the brawl from before never happened, that Sirius and Sarah weren't such a turbulent couple, that his friends, his _precious_ friends, weren't secretly making Remus hate himself for forgoing his integrity for their friendship.

Sirius' pained whisper broke through his thoughts.

"I screwed up. I screwed up. _What am I going to do?_ "

Remus found the fact that Sirius was even willing to admit he'd cocked things up _this_ much a small miracle. He'd never done that before.

James put a consoling arm around Padfoot, but said nothing. It looked like even a bloke as magically gifted as James was just as useless as the rest of them when it came to cleaning up their own messes.

 _Be honest with her,_ Remus desperately wanted to say. _Trust her! Don't be such a philandering twat. Stop with the possessive boyfriend act. Let her help you become a better person and I_ swear _things will be fine!_

 _Show her the parts of you that you keep hidden out of shame, and you'll feel like Merlin himself when you realize she loves every single one of your tarnished flaws. Let her help you heal and grow, like-_

 _Like how Jenelle does for me._

But he said nothing.

In the end, despite his ever-growing feelings for Jenelle, despite his friendship with Sarah and some select others, the Marauders came first. They were his first friends, the first people his own age to know his secret and not turn away in disgust. They meant _everything_ to him, and he just couldn't bring himself to shake that friendship more than he'd just done.

 _I'm sorry, Sarah. I'm so sorry, Jenelle. Please don't think badly of me._

 _It just that, these three are the world to me._

 _They will always come first._


	57. Chapter 57 - Borrowing the Blame

CHAPTER 57 - Borrowing the Blame

* * *

Sarah had been relaxing in the Common Room when she first heard the jeering laughter and whispered gossip.

"Did you _see_ Evans? Didn't think that girl could sound so _freaky_."

" _Right?_ What was she thinking, going against Sirius all for the sake of her Slytherin pet?"

"Black certainly gave the git what for though. I swear, it's like Yule every time I see that greasy-haired snake get what's coming to him."

"I don't know... Don't you think Black and Potter were kind of harsh this time? More so than normal, I mean?"

"I didn't see anything off. It's what he gets for being such an evil jack-off to begin with."

" _Anthony!_ "

"Aw, come on, you know it's true!"

Sarah's attention had shifted bit by bit from her book with each callous comment and worrying implication until nothing else mattered. Her eyes never left the pages sitting in her lap, but her mind was completely checked out. She tensed when a couple of figures moved to stand in front of her, and tore her gaze away to look up.

It was Lighthaven, looking as eager as a brown-nosing douche could be. He was probably trying to get in good with her to stave off any future _warnings_ from Sirius. _Why_ he was choosing now of all times to talk to her though, she was wary to find out.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "What?" she asked rudely. The muscular boy flinched, before pasting a smarmy grin on his face that made her want to reach for her wand.

"Missed you at the dinner table, Waterbrooke," he said amicably as if they were friends.

"Wasn't hungry," was her short reply.

"It's just that you missed quite the show," he continued but was interrupted by an overeager third-year girl, who was practically vibrating in place with excitement. Sarah noticed the younger brunette had stars in her eyes as she spoke.

"Oh it was so amazing!" the girl squealed, her hands clasped in front of her as she swooned in place. "Potter was so cool, and Black was so dashing! They put that nasty Slytherin in his place so easily! You're so _lucky_ Waterbrooke; I wish _I_ had a boyfriend as protective as Sirius!"

Sarah had already formed a pretty solid idea of what they were talking about, but it still hit her like a three-hundred pound Hippogriff. " _What?_ "

Lighthaven picked up the conversation, eager to share in someone else's misery, especially if that someone wore green and silver. "You haven't heard? The Marauders got into a row with that one Slytherin, the one that never washes his hair? Not that it was much of a fight, the day a Gryffindor loses to a snake is the day house elves get turned free."

 _You total bastard._

While having strong feelings about the walking, talking dick in front of her, Sarah was still more preoccupied with her growing rage with the four walking, talking dicks that she spent most of her time with lately. The vast majority of Hogwarts didn't know that besides Jenelle, Sarah had _other_ friendships within Slytherin. Although granted, it really was limited to the one person.

The _Marauders_ , on the other hand, knew full well that she and Severus got along, so what the _hell_ did they think they were doing?

 _Sirius, you couldn't have, could you?_

Her entire body was tense like a coiled spring as she pinned Lighthaven with a sharp glare. "Are you telling me that Black and the other Marauders _deliberately_ picked a fight with Severus Snape after dinner tonight?"

 _You promised. You promised_ _you wouldn't._

Young-and-dumb brunette nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh!" she exclaimed, looking happy to share, not knowing how her words were ripping at Sarah's composure. "Evans was really angry too! She stood up to your boyfriend and made the Marauders back off long enough for her to take the Slytherin to Madam Pomfrey. It was a while ago though so I b-"

The portrait swung open and in stepped the devil herself. The entire room fell silent as everyone watched warily for what the redhead would do. Lily was almost trembling with rage, scanning the room quickly until she spotted Sarah, who made to stand. Before the prefect could open her mouth Sarah was in front of her, pulling her away and back outside.

"Not here," Sarah whispered harshly, "too many eavesdropping idiots."

"You and I need to talk about your wretch of a boyfriend and his posse of bullies," Lily hissed but went along without too much fuss. Their heavy footsteps echoed in the corridors until at long last they reached an exit that would take them outside.

They walked under a clear night sky, stars twinkling brightly in the wide expanse of black above them. When they'd reached a far enough distance Sarah found a random tree, pulling Lily underneath. She cast both cushioning and warming charms to stave off the winter chill, then turned to face the other girl.

"What happened?" She tried to make her voice as steady as possible, although inside she was shaking with both rage, hurt, and a bit of disbelief. Logic, which harshly reminded her about the character of her boyfriend and the other Marauders at their current age, was warring with her heart that pleaded Sirius had made her a _promise_.

"Potter and Black _attacked_ Sev a few hours ago, while Pettigrew and Lupin stood by and watched. _That's_ what happened." Lily's words were just as uncompromising as her stance. Sarah had never seen the girl so standoffish before; it was painful to behold.

As Sarah...Sarah couldn't even begin to put her emotions into words, there were so many disjointed feelings happening all at once. A quick shot of denial, followed by a heavy wave of bitter truth. A keening sense of betrayal, then an overwhelming amount of _guilt_.

"I-I..." She shook her head slowly, one hand coming to cradle her forehead.

"Going to try and deny it?" Lily challenged angrily, but Sarah took the wind out of her tail bristles instantly.

"No."

Lily balked back, obviously not expecting to hear that. Sarah took the opportunity to sit on the ground under the tree. It was almost too dark to see down there but the lights of the castle shone like stars and cast a silver and yellow sheen over the grounds.

Sarah shook her head slowly from side to side, drawing her knees up to her chest. "I just," her breath hitched as she bit back a sob, "he _promised_ he wouldn't. I thought I could believe him..."

Lily remained frozen and daunting as she loomed over Sarah, until little by little her aura of aggressiveness faded. The older girl slowly kneeled down next to Sarah, a hand resting tentatively on the Asian's shoulder.

"You-" Lily licked her lips hesitantly. "You really had no idea?"

" _Does it matter?_ " Sarah spat out, self-loathing overcoming everything else. "I still should have known. So stupid, _I'm so stupid._ Of course they wouldn't change, not so quickly, not for me, not when it's Sev."

Sarah's head shot up, startling Lily. "Is he okay?" Sarah asked desperately, "did they hurt him? Someone mentioned that you took him to the Infirmary."

Lily's entire face crumpled, tears appearing in her own eyes. "No," her denial hung solemnly in the air, "he's not really okay."

" _Oh God,_ " Sarah moaned in horror.

"Madam Pomfrey took care of the black eye, but it's not just the physical. He- that band of idiots _humiliated_ him, Sarah. In front of a lot of other people. If I hadn't stepped in when I did, I don't know how long it would have gone on."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Lily surprised Sarah then by shaking her fiercely, causing her to look up in bewilderment.

"Did you ask Black to attack Sev?"

Sarah immediately drew back in shock. "NO!" she shouted out.

"Then it wasn't your fault." There was a pained yet sincere smile on Lily's lips, and Sarah just wanted to curl up and die.

"Sirius _lied_ to me," she stated listlessly, staring off into the distance as her focus went inwards. "James participated, Remus watched. Sev is hurt. _What the fuck._ "

"I tried to tell you, honey," Lily whispered in sympathy, stroking her hair. "Those boys, they're bad news. They act like they're seven years old, just picking on anything they don't like and never accepting responsibility for anything they do."

Sarah had nothing to say. She couldn't _think_ of anything to say.

"I'm sorry too," Lily continued, pity in her eyes. "I know- you really like Black. I had hoped so badly that he was changing, even if just a little. I'm so sorry."

Sarah had buried her head into her arms, tears accumulating in her eyes but not falling quite yet. "I'm so damn _angry_ with him, Lily," her harsh statement cut like a severing hex. "I can't even think about _looking_ at him right now."

"Then don't," Lily stated matter-of-factly. "It's about damn time that Black and the others learn that there are consequences to their actions. Black, in particular, needs to learn that he can't expect to just bat his eyes and get away with murder, and I for one think _you_ teaching him his lesson would be justice."

Sarah would do just that. She knew that no matter what happened between her and Sirius next, there was no way she was going to forgive him for breaking his word and going behind her back like this. It went against everything she'd even been taught, everything she believed in. Sarah wasn't one to follow the family motto to the letter like her parents, but damn it there were lines that should never be crossed, and two of hers were breaking promises to people you care about and causing humiliation for the sake of entertainment.

Now if she could only she could convince her heart to stop _hurting_ so damn much.

"...I think," Sarah spoke slowly, "I think I'm going to just stay away from the four of them for a while. I haven't been spending a lot of time with Jenelle lately, and I feel guilty about that. Maybe we all and Sev could start hanging out more?"

Lily stiffened oddly, and Sarah looked at her askance. "Lily?"

"I don't know if that's such a good idea…"

Sarah was dumbfounded. "What? Why not?" she demanded.

Lily's eyes hardened. "Sev made it abundantly clear when we reached the Infirmary that he didn't want nor need the _pity_ of a Gryffindor."

"...Fuck that."

Lily gasped. "Sarah!"

Sarah didn't care. "No, no no no. Fuck that. Fuck him. Fuck Sirius and James and Remus and Peter. Fuck Hogwarts and it's _stupid_ house rivalry that tears people apart for no Goddamn reason! That is _STUPID_ Lily!"

Lily's jaw was unhinged slightly as she stared at the ranting girl next to her. Sarah stood up suddenly, much happier to direct her turbulent emotions into rage rather than self-pity.

"I am going to apologize to Severus tomorrow," Sarah declared as she stared out at the half-frozen surface of the Great Lake. "He is going to accept it. Then I'm going to hug that bastard so hard his spine cracks. Then all four of us are going to hang out. And if he tries to say no then fuck that, I don't care."

It seems that Lily had finally shaken off her incredulity, scowling as she stood as well and set her hands on her hips. "You can't just force someone to get over an issue as big as this, Sarah!" she accused hotly. "What if _I_ don't want to spend time with Severus? What if I'm just as angry with him as you are with Sirius and I don't _want_ to be around him right now!?"

"Then you're being stupid!" Sarah burst out, anger sharpening her words and destroying her politeness filter. "If Snape is lashing out because he feels ashamed or embarrassed then a _good_ friend would stick by him no matter what! Or are you just a fair-weathered friend, huh Lily?"

The redhead balked, jerking back with wide eyes and an affronted air. "I am NOT a fair-weathered friend, Waterbrooke!" she yelled, her hands now clenching into fists.

"Then prove it!" Sarah retorted right back, not willing to retreat on this. One thing that had _always_ bothered her about the history between Severus Snape and Lily Potter had been her inability to forgive the man. Certainly he'd been on a dark path at this point in his life, and would be for quite some time yet. That being said, Sarah just couldn't get over the feeling that Lily had been unfair to carry so much grudging indifference towards Severus, even after their admittedly harsh break in friendship.

It was a sticking point to the girl who viewed severing friendships as a last resort for only the most heinous of reasons, and Snape lashing out because he was hurting did not count!

Lily was sputtering, torn between looking like she wanted to slap Sarah, defend her integrity, or hold onto her affronted pissery. Eventually, pride of the good kind won out, and the taller girl crossed her arms over her chest in a huff.

"Fine!" she spat out, "if you can convince Sev get his head out of his arse, I suppose I can forgive him long enough to apologize."

"Good freakin' enough," Sarah said, beyond done with the conversation and the entire night in general. "Now can we go back and prepare to direct our pissed-off-ness towards people that _actually_ deserve it in the morning?"

Lily gave a surprised laugh, ending it with a smile that was all sorts of vicious. "Let's."


	58. Chapter 58 - Entreaties and Rebuffs

CHAPTER 58 - Entreaties and Rebuffs

* * *

Severus was in a foul mood that morning as he gingerly sat down for his first class of the day, careful not to press on any of his healing bruises. His talk with Montagnard aside, he was still understandably furious with just about everyone, involved or not. He wanted to curse Potter and Black into oblivion, he wanted to snap at Narcissa and Regulus for being so damn nosy, he wanted to set exploding potions on _every single person_ that had witnessed his humiliation last night.

He wanted to apologize to Lily for lashing out at her when she'd only been helping him.

What he had _not_ expected was to look up from where he'd been glaring at his desk and spying black robes, a red and gold tie and a small stature. His lip curled without thinking, a nasty comment already making itself known.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're-"

"Sirius is an absolute asshat, and you're right to hate him."

Severus blinked, looking into Sarah's eyes as he slowly digested what she'd said. His face morphed back into its frown of displeasure. "If you think you can get into my good graces with just-"

"No," she interrupted him again, he was irritated to note. "That's not it. I haven't seen him in the last twelve hours because I've been avoiding the shit out of him for what he did to you. He and I are on a hiatus as far as I'm concerned for breaking his promise not to mess with _my_ friends."

She was being sincere, the truthfulness of her words shown in the rigid stance of her crossed arms, in her serious gaze. Severus felt himself sliding back into his seat. _No one_ had ever…

 _Well, that wasn't exactly true, one person had always been willing to put aside all else for him, but he'd…_

"She's not lying, Sev."

His eyes darted to the doorway of the potions classroom, and he felt his heart lurch painfully. "Lily..." he whispered softly, not daring to believe his eyes.

His best friend, the girl he loved more than anything else in the world, still looked a mite peeved at him and, to his guilt, he could easily imagine why. Though, as reluctant as she seemed to play nice she was _here_ , talking to him, even after he had spoken so harshly to her.

"Don't get me wrong," Lily continued as she stepped into the classroom proper, coming up to stand alongside Sarah. "You still owe me an apology for what you said yesterday."

"O-of course!" he stammered, feeling flat-footed at this unexpected mercy, "I, I'm sorry Lily, I was lashing out, I didn't mean it, truly!"

She sighed quietly, looking pained, but she eventually gave him a reluctant smile. "I forgive you," she said softly, and Severus felt like he could take on giants.

"Glad you two are back on good terms, can I sit down now?" Sarah had moved to round the table, rudely taking the seat next to him and beginning to unpack. Severus was still wary of her.

"...You honestly didn't know?" was what he finally asked, reluctant to give voice to his insecurity but _needing_ to know. She froze, her hand resting on her cauldron. She slowly turned towards him, and instead of pity of sympathy or any of those soft emotions that Severus _hated_ having directed at him, there was only blazing fury.

She clenched her hand into a fist, before gradually releasing it to lay a gentle hand upon his shoulder. "I _swear_ , Sev, I didn't know _._ "

He believed her, Merlin help him.

He nodded silently, not sure how else to react. She mirrored him before removing her hand and finishing organizing her books and parchment. Lily gave them both a fond smile, moving to take a seat next to them. Since Severus had chosen the farthest corner in the back of the room, he was essentially blocked from the left and the front by the girls, protected and for once, feeling a wisp of safety.

It was shattered when the door burst inwards to bounce off the stone wall, and a disheveled Sirius Black and cohorts threw themselves into the room.

Severus watched in mounting glee as Black took in the situation, the Gryffindor's eyes growing dark with both jealousy and a smidge of panic. Severus had to admit that the second emotion was exceedingly gratifying to see.

Served the pompous git right, getting a taste of his own medicine.

"W-Waterlily." Black looked like he couldn't decide whether to start groveling or to pull her away from Severus' side by the arm. Sarah made the decision for him by impaling the teen with icy look, so different from the fire that had lit her eyes only a minute ago.

" _Do not_ talk to me right now."

Black's expression turned devastated. "Sarah!"

Lily scoffed from her chair, gazing at the sorry lot of them in disdain. "You heard her, Black," she said scathingly, "and if you even _think_ of trying anything while I'm here, you and your friends are going to so buried in detentions you won't see the light of day until the end of _next year."_

" _Stay OUT of this, Evans_ ," the dog growled, and Severus was not about to let Black take out his anger on Lily.

"Live with the consequences of your actions for once in your life, Black," he spoke imperiously, feeling a delicious rush of delight when all four Marauders turned death glares his way, impotent as they were. "Sarah has actually just informed me that until further notice you two are, what did you say, Sarah?" He turned to give an innocent look at his desk partner, who returned it with an unimpressed tilt of her head. Nevertheless, she answered flatly, looking directly at Black.

"On a break."

"A _BREAK?_ "

And wasn't that just the most beautiful sight Severus had seen in recent memory? Black looked like the House Cup _and_ Quidditch Cup had just been ripped from his greedy paws and the other Marauders didn't seem to be faring much better.

Potter stepped forward, his hands held up placatingly. "Now hold on Sarah, don't you think that's overreacting?"

He then shrank back as Sarah tried to drill holes through his skull by sheer mental force.

"Overreacting?" she hissed, her demeanor like that of a spitting cat. "I _told_ Sirius to lay off my friends. He promised and then he broke it. As far as I'm concerned, I am _underreacting_."

Black tried to move forward but was halted by Lupin's restraining hand on his shoulder. He seemed to barely notice, his attention solely dedicated to the girl sitting next to Severus. He made a pathetic sight as he pleaded desperately.

"Love, _please,_ I-I..."

"If he says 'I didn't mean it,' I think I'm going to hurl," Sarah spoke casually to Severus, not even sparing the pathetic Gryffindor a glance. Severus almost burst out into laughter.

"Sarah," Potter warned, his eyes flashing. Lily turned in her seat to fully look at the Marauders.

"Why don't you all go over to the far wall and stay _away_ from us _._ " Her words could be interpreted as nothing else than an order that she expected to be followed immediately.

Black looked like he was about to start a fight, consequences be damned, but then behind them a familiar voice rang out.

"Are you quite done blocking the way, Black? Some of us would actually like to take a seat sometime this century."

"Shove off, Malfoy!" Potter whirled to shout at Severus' friend. Pettigrew squeaked with fright and skittered away. Lucius was accompanied by his own group of people; along with Regulus and Narcissa, Severus could also spot Montagnard's daunting figure as well.

Oh good, reinforcements.

"Something wrong, Potter?" Lucius asked airily as if he had no idea what was going on. It was plain for everyone to see though that this was not entirely the case, as the blonde Slytherin's eyes practically _glowed_ with vicious amusement. "Careful, Professor Slughorn was only a minute behind me and I doubt he would appreciate you causing a ruckus first thing in the morning."

Black stepped forward with murder in his eyes. "I'll show _you_ a ruckus you slimy-"

It seemed that there was to be an abundance of well-timed interruptions today, as Black's words were cut off by yet another newcomer.

"My word Miss Montagnard, what seems to be the holdup?"

Lucius raised a challenging eyebrow at Black before smoothly stepping aside to reveal a suspicious Professor Slughorn, who assessed the entire situation with a keen eye that emphasized his Slytherin cunning.

"Misters Black, Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew, please take a seat near the front of the class today."

Multiple voices rang out with indignation. "Sir!"

"That was not a request."

Black couldn't seem to decide who to glare at more, his head swinging between Lucius, Severus, Lily, and Sarah. His hands were curled into fists by his side, and his next words were spat out through gnashing teeth.

" _Yes, Sir._ "

The Marauders beat a slow retreat, moving to the front of the room as they'd been commanded to do. Severus watched them go with a satisfied smile, feeling a large amount of sweet vindication.

Lucius made his way to Severus' table, his eyes flickering briefly towards a suddenly on-edge Sarah. "And what, pray tell, was that all about?" he drawled, looking quite keen on learning the answer.

Severus hesitated, not sure exactly what to say. Black's accusations last night had gotten him thinking: what exactly _was_ going on between Lucius and Sarah? For now, he decided to play things close to the vest.

"A little retribution for last night's infraction, I'm sure Narcissa has already informed you of some of the details," Severus answered vaguely. He would let Lucius fill in the blanks himself for now. Severus would ask Sarah for a more detailed account of the girl's relationship with Lucius later today, when they were away from the man in question.

"Lucius," Narcissa tugged on her beau's arm, and he slowly turned away to take a seat nearby. Montagnard looked at Severus and Sarah, looking both proud and incredulous if such a thing were possible.

"Sarah?" she asked pointedly, and Sarah gave a tired smile. The two leaned forward so that their whispers wouldn't be overheard.

Sarah spoke succinctly. "Lily told me what happened. I'm pissed and not talking to Sirius or the others. Mind if we see a bit more of each other?"

Jenelle looked ecstatic at the news, for more than one reason Severus supposed. His fellow Slytherin had never been able to completely hide her disapproval of Black from him. "Not at all!" the blonde responded gladly, "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Same," Sarah replied, her smile fading into tiredness. "I-I really need to talk to you."

"Oh sweetie," Jenelle said sympathetically but didn't reach out to her friend. Likely, she didn't want to cause a scene when there were unwanted witnesses around. Severus applauded her forethought.

Instead, the fellow Slytherin just nodded emphatically, moving to sit next to Lily who greeted the girl with an upturned crook of the lips.

As the rest of the students flooded in and class began, Severus took a moment to reflect.

 _So, as it stands. Lily and I are back on good terms. Lily still hates Potter with a passion. Sarah supports me over Black and has even put him in the doghouse for his actions. Montagnard and the rest of my housemates support me as well. And Black is currently breaking his neck trying to cast a killing curse without words or wand at my person._

He smirked, taking pleasure when Black only glared harder.

 _How delightful._


	59. Chapter 59 - Lovers in a Safe Space

CHAPTER 59 - Lovers in a Safe Space

* * *

The tension between Jenelle and Remus was so palpable, she was certain the entire class was consciously leaning away from the darkness emanating between them. Jenelle had done her best to ignore the fair-haired boy all day, keeping uncomfortably strong eye contact with Professor Underwood who had flinched more than a few times under her glare. Her hand flew up for every question and her face _dared_ the plump man to not call on her.

The little she did see of her boyfriend was not pretty. He was turned away from her, his hand and blonde hair obscuring his expression. He was holding his quill in hand, hovering over parchment paper but not moving. Though she was still seized up in anger she felt a pang of sympathy every time she saw him. She couldn't help it, she was a sucker for a sad soul. Though it did confuse her that she felt poorly for Remus and simultaneously wanted to stuff his tie down his throat.

"Which leads me to our next topic," Professor Underwood drawled in his thick Russian accent. "This is more a fun question I'd like to ask the class; at this juncture, what subcategory of alchemy are you all considering for your intensive next year?"

Underwood asked from his podium to the far right of the room. On the chalkboard in front of everyone there were complicated equations scrawled in neat writing and a number of flasks and measuring tools laid out on a low stone table.

"Yes, Miss Dougherty," said Underwood.

A short Gryffindor girl with pin straight brown hair stood at her seat to answer. "I want to focus on elemental alchemy. Specifically, the relationship between fire and water elements."

"Excellent, that is a fascinating relationship to delve into. There should be plenty of material on the subject in our library, but let me know if you need additional sources." Underwood smiled and nodded as the Dougherty girl sat back in her seat.

Jenelle could vaguely hear murmurs throughout the class as students started to get interested in the idea of their alchemy intensive. It was a semester-long project that began first term of their seventh year and was presented in a science-fair style to the other faculty and fellow students. Participating students could also win grants for future study and pursue careers in the sciences.

Though for most, it was a chance to show off to your fellow classmates and win an easy fifty house points.

"And what will our Ilvermornian comrade be doing? Do they present student academic work in such a way in the States?" Underwood pointed to question to Jenelle who was scribbling angry faces into her notes.

"Huh? Oh, alchemy intensive? Yes, we do have those at Ilvermorny. But they are a little more...intense." She chuckled at her own joke but when no one else made a sound she just swallowed and pretended to cough.

"Our final year intensive is more about survival and the interconnectivity of magical concentrations. We, um, get sent out into the wilderness and have to survive for three days on our own. I think it's meant to challenge our mental fortitude as well as our prowess with magic. So, of course, that includes things like alchemy, charms, transfiguration, potions, CoMC and the like."

"How are you graded? If you're on your own," asked one curious Slytherin.

Jenelle turned to answer. "I suppose that's sort of a secret, even the students aren't sure. Though we do present some of what we accomplish afterward to the faculty," she smiled. "We all really look forward to it. It's a pretty amazing adventure and experience, from what I've heard from the older students. It's called The Trial."

More whispers throughout the class. She was once again in the comfortable setting of being the most interesting person in the room, and for a brief moment she forgot all about Remus and the Marauders, Severus, Sarah and their impending separation that was currently tainted by drama.

"And what alchemic branch do you find yourself drawn to?" asked Underwood, leaning forward on his podium with hands clasped together lazily. The class was just about over and he had taken on a relaxed posture after his hour of lecturing. The rest of the class was already gathering up their materials and chatting with neighbors.

"Me? I like the solid state and gaseous alchemic techniques. Purifying air, creating dry ice, mixing metals into stronger alloys, that sort of thing," she said as she closed her books and gathered her quill set into its case. Professor Underwood opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by a small group of Slytherin boys who wanted to discuss their end of term papers. Underwood winked an apology to Jenelle and turned his attention away.

"Clearing the air?" Jenelle heard a soft voice call out beside her. She knew without looking it was Remus and felt her face flush.

"W-what? What are you talking about?"

"Air purification. Clearing the air? That's what you just said you like," Remus said carefully, trying his best to keep the atmosphere light.

"Oh, that. Yeah, it seems practical." She finished stuffing her books into her satchel and slung the strap over her shoulder, standing up at her desk.

"Yeah. Hey, do you have a minute?" Remus reached out to lightly grab her forearm. He withdrew when she looked down at his hand.

Jenelle sighed. "I guess we're going to have to talk eventually." She turned towards the door and when Remus didn't immediately follow she spun on her heels to call out to him. "Come on now! I have a potions test to study for."

Remus skipped and scurried over, an optimistic smile on his face. Jenelle hated that she wanted to forget everything that had happened the night before with Sev and just enjoy the free, fleeting moments with Remus that she could have. But the betrayal of it all was weighing heavily on her and needed to be talked about before she could look Remus in the eye with the same carefree love they had had for each other in the last few months.

She rounded the corner opposite from where the rest of the students were walking towards the great hall for dinner. Remus followed her down each winding hallway in silence until they were lined up with the wall to the Room of Requirement. Jenelle was painstakingly wishing to the Hogwarts spirit to give them a familiar, comforting space for a difficult, painful talk.

As they passed their third round and opened the door they were met with the high pitched singing of songbirds and bubbling of a slow-moving creek. The space opened up high into the ceiling with enormous trees and scattered flora surrounding them.

Jenelle knew immediately by the smell; this was from one of her and Sarah's favorite hiding places in the woods outside the Ilvermorny campus walls. Nearly the exact same foliage and even the occasional chipmunk scampering here and there.

"Woah," Remus said breathlessly, "Is this...is this New England?"

Jenelle couldn't help but smile as the nostalgia washed over her in waves. "Yes, it is. This is the forest of Mount Greylock."

"It doesn't look anything like the Forbidden Forest," Remus mused, running his hands over the rough bark of a towering oak tree. The branches were reaching out over the lazy creek and shading the two of them in late autumn leaves.

"No, this forest is not nearly as old as the Forbidden Forest. Everything here has been cleaned out for farming centuries ago and grown back. It's a forest in its prime." Jenelle smiled as she knelt down to dip a few curious fingers into the creek, basking in the cool wetness.

"I hope it doesn't take centuries for you to forgive me…"

Jenelle stood and turned back to Remus, who was standing awkwardly below the tree. He had his hands wringing the tie he had undone after class and wasn't looking her in the eye.

"Well, I can't forgive you for anything until you admit to what you did," she said cooly.

Remus nodded a few times in subjugation. "You're right. I'm um...bullocks this is hard. I'm sorry, Jen. I'm sorry for my part in hurting your um…"

"Friend," Jenelle finished for him, an angry glare in her eyes.

"Right. Um friend, sorry." Remus looked like the very words made a gross taste in his mouth and he turned back towards the tree and took a seat in the crook of two massive roots. "I know what you're probably thinking-"

"I really doubt that," said Jenelle skeptically, dropping her bag and crossing her arms in front of her.

"No, no I do. It's nothing that I haven't already thought of. I'm weak for just following along with whatever stupid tizzy Sirius and James get themselves into. I'm too much of a coward to speak up when things get ugly or go south altogether, like with what happened to Snape."

"But see, that's the thing I don't get," Jenelle sighed as she took a few steps toward Remus. "You _do_ say something, and you _do_ know what the right and wrong thing to do is. I know that boys will be boys and all that jazz. I know you Gryffindors have some sort of deep-seated issues with the Slytherins that's not entirely unjustified. But, you're not an idiot Remus. You know when you've crossed the line!"

"You're right."

"But you didn't stop!"

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," said Jenelle pointedly.

Remus sighed and began to snap smaller twigs that were scattered around his feet. The little clicks of the wood were like tiny firecrackers in the calm silence of the imaginary forest.

"I know I should apologize to Snape. It turned out in the end that Sirius was wrong about his intentions. At least, that's what he said." Remus looked around and didn't seem to truly believe what he was saying. Or perhaps he did, but for the sake of his own ego he needed to look like it pained him to say it. Jenelle wasn't sure. It could have been some sort of British bravado social norm that she was unfamiliar with, or perhaps just one of Remus' personality flaws.

Regardless, it was obvious he was trying and when she took a breath, Jenelle realized that she couldn't, and shouldn't, really ask for more from a teenage boy.

 _Except for Black. He still deserves a hard one to the back of the head._

Jenelle walked across the leaf covered ground to where Remus sat among the roots. She leaned over and separated his knees so she could settle herself between them and lean her back against his chest, his arms wrapped around her neck and arms.

Remus was so eager to hold her that she heard him take long, deep breaths of relief into her hair and continued to rub her arms where his hands lay. They sat in silence for a while, as was their comfortable routine, and watched the magical birds and squirrels chase each other around the open glade under the big oak tree.

She couldn't speak for Remus, but Jenelle was using that time to think. She sorted through all the emotions that had bottled up inside her since the night before and used the caring and safe embrace of Remus' arms to assure her that she wouldn't fall apart as she did.

"Do you really regret it? Beating him up like that?" she asked quietly.

Remus paused, not moving a muscle that Jenelle could feel. "I regret not stepping in sooner. I regret not trying to talk down Sirius more." He shifted and pulled her in close to him. "But I don't regret standing by my friends. They make dumb choices sometimes-"

Jenelle made a scoffing noise.

"Alright, _a lot_ of the time. But they are good blokes. They're my mates. We have each other's backs and are willing to make sacrifices for each other. That's why I can't regret being useful to them."

Jenelle steadied her breathing. Her gut reaction was to argue, it always was, but she swallowed the bitter pill and listened to his words again in her mind. How could she blame him for his loyalty when she was so unwaveringly loyal to those she loved?

"Just...could you please, for my sake, not get involved with something like that again? The bullying, it's not like you. It's not like the _you_ I've come to…" she trailed off, not sure if she was ready to delve into _that_ particular subject just yet. Remus likely felt her hesitation but didn't press her to say it.

"Yes," he said simply. "Yes, I will do my best to stay out of it in the future. It doesn't concern me and I'm pretty sure after Sirius gets a taste of how angry Waterbrooke is likely going to be, he won't be doing it anytime soon either."

Jenelle leaned her head back on his shoulder and their cheeks pressed together. "Yeah, man, it's not going to be pretty. She really likes Sev. Me too. He's been kind to both of us ever since we arrived."

"How's that?" Remus asked gently in her ear. His voice sounded sleepy and his body was slack against the tree.

"Well, you know that he practices non-verbal spells with us from time to time. Lily too. He listens to our griping and doesn't make a big deal out of it. I assume it takes a lot for a guy to withstand three giggling girls for almost an entire afternoon without complaint," she chuckled.

"I can't say I'd have it in me," said Remus jokingly.

Jenelle sighed with a smile and nuzzled her cheek against his. "I wouldn't want you to share any afternoons with three other girls. Not unless I'm invited."

She felt his chest rise against her back and she turned towards him, placing herself in his arm as he lifted his free hand to push stray strands of blonde hair from her face.

"If I could, I'd spend every afternoon with you for the rest of our lives," he said with a hoarse voice.

Jenelle felt herself grow hot with the intensity of his words and brought a hand up to weave her fingers through his messy hair, pulling his face to hers. Their parted lips met and melted together like interlacing fingers. She felt his intake of breath pulling over the small hairs on her cheek and tugged lightly on his hair in response. They shared a long, lingering kiss that resolved everything left unsaid.

Jenelle wanted so badly in that moment to confess everything to him; the time turners, the Unspeakable, the mysteries behind her curse. She could feel it all bubbling inside her, begging to be set free into the kind and attentive ear of her lover.

Remus continued to stroke her hair back and pulled away just far enough that he could stare into her eyes. She felt completely entwined with him as their legs wrapped around each other on the cool ground.

"Jenelle…" he whispered hotly against her mouth.

"I know," she said simply, then lifted her chin and brought them together again.


	60. Chapter 60 - No More Cake for You

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Chapter 60?! Seriously?! It's only just now dawning on us how much we wrote over the past year. I really hope everyone is enjoying The Time Turner Interlude!**

CHAPTER 60 - No More Cake for You

* * *

"SHE CAN'T DO THIS!"

James winced as a rickety chair went flying a bit too close to his head, sailing to crash against the rundown walls of the Shrieking Shack in a rain of splinters and debris. Sirius was alternating between pulverizing miscellaneous items around the room with either his magic or through sheer arm strength and fury.

"Err, Pads?"

"WE-" _Crash_! "ARE NOT-" _Shatter_! "ON-" ( _Oh look, a reducto spell_ ) "A _BREAK!_ "

"Pretty sure that's not up to you," James muttered under his breath to himself.

"SIRIUS BLACK DOES _NOT_ GET PUT ON BREAKS! SIRIUS BLACK _PUTS_ GIRLS ON BREAKS! WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS? WHO DOES SHE THINK _I_ AM?"

Peter, already whimpering near the relative safety of the far wall, gave a miserable little moan. "Oh no, he's talking about himself in the third person. Not good..."

James agreed wholeheartedly. Sirius only got to _that_ particularly breathtaking level of egocentricity when he was well and truly pissed.

There was a clatter behind James as their final member joined them. "What'd I miss?" Moony slightly wheezed as he leaned over to rest his hands on his knees; the bloke must have flat-out run from the castle straight to the Shack.

"Oh, not much," James answered breezily, waving a hand around them so that Remus could properly survey Sirius' attempts to turn the Shrieking Shack into a Shack of Shambles. "As you can see, our mate Padfoot here is taking things quite well."

" _ARGHHHH!_ "

 _CRASH_!

James winced again. "Err, mostly well."

"Bloody hell," Moony sighed, running a hand through his hair in exhaustion. Sirius seemed to be winding down at least, or maybe it was just because he'd run out of unbolted furniture to toss around. Either way, the enraged teen was now simply standing still in the eye of his cyclone of carnage, panting heavily and finally falling silent.

James decided that now was as good a time as any to approach and did so warily, his steps hesitant and his hands held out in front of him.

"...You good now, mate?" he asked cautiously, staying utterly still when Padfoot's fists tightened as if preparing to fly off the broom handle again. James held his breath, only releasing it shakily when he saw the tension slowly bleed out of his friend, leaving behind only a tired shell.

" _Fuck._ " The swear escaped through clenched teeth as Sirius proceeded to collapse bonelessly onto the creaking floorboards below, utterly spent. James was quick to sit right next to him, feeling Remus and Peter do the same.

James hesitated, but slowly clasped his best mate's shoulder in a supportive grip, pleaded when Sirius didn't immediately shove him off.

They sat in silence for a while, none of them exactly experts when it came to talking about feelings (especially angst-ridden ones like Padfoot). James knew that logically, _truthfully_ , they'd probably screwed up. ( _A bit. Just a bit._ ) He may not give a rat's arse about Snivellus, but the Slytherin was a supposed _friend_ of both Sarah and Monty, not to mention Evans.

How the greasy-haired git had ever managed to get a bevy of girls on his side, James had absolutely no idea, but it was obviously working in the boys' favor. Now, three of the four Marauders were on thin ice or _worse_ with their respective love interests, all because of that bastard.

 _Speaking of which..._

"Never got to ask," James spoke up, breaking the quiet around them as he aimed his comment towards the werewolf in their midst, "but how'd things go with you and Montagnard today? You have any better luck?"

To his shock, Remus actually _blushed_ , coughing to try and hide his reaction while he looked towards the window, where a nearly full moon shone down upon them. "Err, yes, well. Jenelle and I talked of course, and err-"

"No way," Wormtail breathed in awe and dread, eyes glancing at Sirius' suddenly stiffened spine. "She—she _forgave you?_ "

" _No!_ ...Well," another awkward cough, "sort of? She laid into me ruddy good and made me swear to never get involved again, even it's just standing on the sidelines, but..."

A dark chuckle came from James' side and he turned, full of trepidation, to see Sirius shaking his head back and forth slowly, his face hidden behind a waterfall of onyx hair.

 _Ohhhh no._

Remus had also caught the creepy sound coming from Sirius, and paled slightly as he rushed to speak. " _That's to say_ , it's not like you can compare this and that really since Sarah and Jenelle are like night and day, completely different. Jenelle has a quick temper but she seems to ease off quickly enough. But Sarah... Anyway, there's no way they'd react the same in a similar situation, so..."

James felt his mouth opening without meaning it to. "That and the fact that Padfoot here apparently promised specifically _not_ to mess with Snape then went and did it anyway."

He instantly regretted not possessing a Time Turner so that he could sock his past-self in his giant gob.

There was a dangerous silence. James started composing his will, hoping that at the very least Sirius would forgive him enough to speak at his funeral after he got done blasting him to bits.

"..."

Surprised by the lack of death, James slowly cracked one eye open from where he'd been cringing in anticipation, looking around warily before fixing his gaze on his friend. "Pads?"

"I hate him," Sirius spoke abruptly, his voice flat and his eyes still glaring at his hands in his lap. "That's not ever gonna change. I will _never_ trust that snake."

"Err, Snape, right?" Peter checked tentatively. Sirius nodded sharply.

"He's Dark, mates. You don't-" Sirius cut himself off with a hissing sigh, agitated to the extreme.

He continued slowly, every word dragging out of his mouth like an uncooperating dragon. "Snape, Malfoy, Narcissa, my _brother_. They're _Dark_. They won't ever be anything but Dark, and that means they can't be trusted. I know their type firsthand, I _know_ the kind of Dark magic they get up to on a daily basis. You all know what I'm on about, why can't she see it too?"

The last part was whispered painfully.

"I dunno, Pads," James answered solemnly, "I get the feeling that Sarah's got a pretty soft heart, under all her prickliness. She just forgives too easily. Forgives the wrong people."

"She's going to get hurt," Sirius insisted, and James wasn't sure if he was talking to himself or to the others. "She just doesn't understand what Dark wizards are like, at least here, in England."

"Maybe," Remus spoke up gently, "but going behind her back in order to 'protect' her has just made things worse, Sirius. Jenelle told me a long time ago that Sarah appreciates those who are polite but upfront. Deception and cloak-and-wand things aren't her style."

"I wasn't trying to go behind her back," the other boy insisted weakly, his hand coming up to rub at his forehead in exhaustion.

"Merlin's balls, why'd this have to happen _now_? With the damn Slytherins and those stupid bints, and Carmichael's been especially clingy lately, and bloody Malfoy being a stalking twat. It's almost Winter Hols, Slughorn's going to have his special Yule party; I just wanted to go with Waterlily and be _happy_. Is that so much to ask for?"

James gave a soft 'oh', having forgotten about the Yule party that was held annually by their Potions Professor. It's not like he'd scored an invitation to the event, even if he'd actually _wanted_ to go, but he knew that both Sarah and Monty had been invited. Sirius and Sarah had briefly mentioned going together, like it's already been a done deal, but now that was definitely up in the air.

"When is that thing again?" he asked curiously, and Sirius gave a morose shrug.

"The twenty-second, the night before everyone leaves for Winter."

"Well, that's still a week away!" James tried to drum up some enthusiasm and cheer, giving Padfoot an encouraging smile. "I bet by then this thing we have blown over, and you and Sarah can still go together!"

Padfoot gave a tiny chuckle, and James mentally applauded himself. "You think so?"

"Sure! And once you're back to being disgustingly public with each other you'll have the whole holidays to spend time together, right?"

Sirius looked puzzled at that, something about James' words causing confusion. "Actually," he said slowly, "I think Waterlily mentioned that she and Monty are heading back to the States for winter. Something about checking in with their school?"

"Really?" Remus spoke up suddenly, looking faintly aggrieved. "Jenelle never mentioned that."

"It was weird," Sirius furrowed his brow, bothered by something more than what had been troubling him before. "The way she spoke, it was almost like there was a chance..."

"...A chance?" James prompted when Sirius didn't finish his thought. His friend looked at him finally, and James was shocked to see a flicker of fear in those grey eyes.

"A chance that they won't come back."


	61. Chapter 61 - Upon Deeper Reflection

CHAPTER 61 - Upon Deeper Reflection

* * *

Sarah wanted to disappear; that or blow everything up, it was a fair toss.

To satisfy both feelings, she had taken a note out of Jenelle's book and was currently in the Room of Requirement, exploding training dummies while cotton stuffing and seared wood scattered like confetti in the air. Her little nonverbal spells were really getting a workout right now. A pity that some were considered only semi-legal in the Western countries, due to their potential deadliness.

 _Man, Mahoutokoro really knows what's up._

Things had been hard, to say the least. It'd only been a few days since she'd told Sirius to buzz off, and by now everyone in the entire school had heard of it. Random girls were either treating her like she was insane for giving up the school heartthrob (for _Snape_ of all people), or giddily throwing themselves at Sirius now that they believed him to be available.

James and the other Marauders had all at one point cornered and tried to convince her to forgive and forget, but while she was nowhere near as pissed with them as she was with Sirius, the fact of the matter was that they were almost just as guilty, so she usually didn't stick around long enough to listen.

Lily and Jenelle had been getting along marvelously well in their unified attempts to cheer her up while putting down Sirius. It was amusing to hear all the different ways a guy could be called a man-whoring ass, but it was also slowing wearing Sarah down every time they looked at her with pity when she only half-heartedly joined in.

Severus was switching between complimenting her on her good taste in both men and friends, and suddenly acting guarded and shy. She figured he was still unsure how to handle someone other than Lily standing up for him, especially a Gryffindor. She didn't really know what to do about that. He was her friend and that wouldn't change, and she would _never_ resent him for his part in this fiasco; it's not like he'd ever asked to be the target of bullying.

He really didn't help his situation though when he blatantly antagonized the Gryffindor table whenever she walked past it to join Jenelle.

Speaking of the Slytherins though, that right there was a very mixed can of flobberworms.

Some Snakes openly glared and subtly threatened her for daring to enter their space, but she ignored or snarked right back, respectfully. Others were taking a vindictive pleasure at seeing one of their constant tormentors getting publicly snubbed for those he and his friends deemed 'evil.' Sarah figured that as long as they refrained from outright cursing her in the halls, she could deal.

The two that had been borderline insufferable though had been the Slytherin power couple of Narcissa and Lucius. Narcissa she could grudgingly understand; Sarah was a foreigner breaking tradition and coming into her territory, _and_ they were both low-key fighting over Jenelle. Admittedly it was fun to verbally jab at each other sometimes, it's just when it got too personal that things became less funny and more hostile.

Lucius, on the other hand, was being _infuriating_. It seemed to be his new hobby to try and get a rise out of her in the most hoity-toity fashion he could, meaning a lot of remarks filled with underlying meaning and verbal jabs aimed to needle at her patience. He never held back with his comments on her surprising show of intelligence by leaving Black.

She hadn't _left_ Sirius, they were on a _break;_ there was a difference!

The worst part was that Sarah's situation seemed to have galvanized something in Lucius, and he was taking full advantage of the wedge between her and her hiatus-boyfriend to push his own agenda. He never made any overt gestures or comments that would hint at his hidden intentions, seeing as they usually were only in the same space with both Narcissa and Jenelle in attendance.

Instead, he would do things like brushing her hand when he walked past her or sitting just a little too close when they all shared a meal. Jenelle would give the Pureblood the hairy eye whenever he got too weird, although Sarah was pretty sure it was for her own benefit rather than to protect Sirius' honor.

She wanted to pull out every strand of his platinum, well-conditioned hair for being an insufferable ass and not taking the hint _still_ that she wasn't interested.

But the award to the _most_ insufferable ass went to Sirius.

After his first, unsuccessful attempts (without even _pretending_ to feel sorry for what he'd done to Severus) to get her to talk to him, Sirius had fallen back on what he did best.

Causing migraines.

The Gryffindor moron had been alternating between flirting outrageously with her in an attempt to get her to forgive him or, when that inevitably failed, turning around and flirting aggressively with the nearest girl in an attempt to make her jealous. Sarah snapped out of her recollections as she threw a particularly vicious _bombarda_ towards a dummy that she'd spelled to have black, flowing locks and grey eyes.

It didn't bother her.

 _It didn't_.

Whenever they were in class together and Jenelle wasn't around, Sirius inevitably made his way to her side, a cocky grin on his face as he loomed over her and tried to be suave. Sarah's stalwart determination not to acknowledge him and Lily's acid retorts were usually enough to have him beating a resentful retreat after a minute or two, but he always came back for more.

She would have thought him to be a masochist, but she sometimes saw flashes of genuine pain in his eyes before they were hidden behind a wall of nonchalance. Those brief glimpses of true emotion were the driving force that compelled her to be right here, right now. She needed to be alone, without any outside influence, to try and sort through her mind.

"For God's sake, Sarah," she muttered to herself, kicking a broken piece of the wooden stand and watching as it bounced off the stone wall a ways away. She was out of dummies to destroy, so she plopped down on the ground, petulantly tossing more debris at the wall as she spoke aloud.

"Just, just lay it out," she commanded herself. "Facts. Start with facts. One: ... _One_. Shit, what even _is_ one!?"

She gave an almighty groan, slumping forward in defeat.

"One is that you like him, despite everything," she whispered quietly, feeling like she was admitting to the greatest secret of her life. "Despite being in the wrong place, the wrong time; despite going home soon and inevitably leaving everything behind. Despite knowing what kind of person _everyone_ here is and what will happen to them..."

 _Sirius is going to die. Severus is going to die. Lucius is going to become a Death Eater and kill untold numbers of innocent people. Lily and James and Remus are going to_ die _. Pettigrew is going to betray everyone that loves him all because he's a coward that can't trust in his friends._

 _What are you doing?_

She inhaled shakily, feeling unwanted tears forming behind closed eyelids. "What am I doing?"

 _Sirius is everything you hate in a person. He's full of himself. He flirts with anything with two legs and a pair of boobs, regardless of how it makes you feel. He has no idea what hard work is. He takes out his insecurities on others to make himself feel better-_

 _He also is incredibly brave to go against his family, to turn away from everything he's ever known all because he believes that just because people are different doesn't make them lesser. He is the most loyal person you've ever met, and wouldn't hesitate to stick out his own neck for his friends. He's interested in_ you _, a short, barely passably-pretty, violent and awkward and sarcastic idiot with the emotional range of a No-Maj toaster._

 _Just admit that having someone like Sirius Black chasing after you was an ego trip at first. Admit that being with him was terrifying but beautiful in ways you've never experienced before. Admit that even when you're angry with him, you still want to be with him._

"Why is this my life?" she moaned. She wanted to shake things off, be a better person, but it was _hard_. A better person, a _smart_ person, would dump Black, distance herself from everyone at Hogwarts, and accept that at the end of the day nothing she fought for would even last. She and Jenelle were going back to their time, and they would never again see any of the marvelous people they'd gotten to know.

...Sarah was still working on being a better person.

Her pity party was cut short when she slapped at her own cheeks, just shy of causing pain.


	62. Chapter 62 - Malfoy Makes a Move

CHAPTER 62 - Malfoy Makes a Move

* * *

Sirius Black's life for the past few days had been, for lack of a better word, _hell_.

Oh sure, he kept things light-hearted in front of his fellow Housemates whenever they asked (jokingly or eagerly) how he was handling 'The Break.' After all, the great Sirius Black, _shaken_ by the dismissal of a bird?

 _Impossible_.

He responded to the ribbing of his teammates with just as much snark, waved off the concerns of girls with a wink in their direction, and deftly ignored the extremely amused looks from Professor McGonagall with a poise not even Regulus could hope to emulate.

Come to think of it, multiple professors had been looking at him oddly. What kind of respectable influence on impressionable young minds followed student drama?

 _Bunch of gossiping duffers, the lot of them_.

When it was just him and his mates though, taking increasingly frequent romps in the Forbidden Forest or skiving off class to have some alone time, he could admit then that he wasn't doing too well.

The first time that Sarah had refused to talk to him (refused to even acknowledge that he was right in front of her) it had been a _crucio_ to the heart. He could only barely voice it to the other Marauders. His Waterlily, who was always so responsive, so _reactive_ to everything he did, whether it be teasing her, kissing her, holding her close or pestering her relentlessly; no matter what, she always acknowledged him and his efforts. Her eyes would roll in exasperation, her hands would slap at him playfully, she would huff and pretend not to be pleased, she would sigh softly and slowly melt into his arms.

He'd been without it for only a few days, and already he felt like he was losing his mind.

It had taken Carmichael and her offer to"relieve stress" for him almost losing his cool completely, his body going rigid where she clung to him, his throat tightening painfully as he forced down a comment of ' _How about bloody hell no?'_ He had given a wooden laugh, barely registering the worried looks that Prongs and Wormtail shot him from across the table, before leaving the Great Hall and a half-eaten lunch with a barely passable excuse.

He practically flew as he sprinted for the tower, bounding up the stairs to the boy's dormitory and rushing towards Moony's trunk, where the Map was being stored. With a quick incantation ( _I solemnly swear I'm up to no good)_ his eyes frantically searched every inch of parchment, looking for the one person he _ached_ to see.

He sighed softly when he finally found her footsteps resting in one of the music rooms, only for his heart to leap to his throat and lodge there painfully when he noticed who was in the room with her.

He shot up with a curse, tearing across the floor towards James' trunk which he threw open violently. His hands shifted through scattered textbooks and empty Honeydukes wrappers for what seemed like ages before his fingers brushed against their prize. With a triumphant cry he withdrew yards of shimmering fabric, the Invisibility Cloak already doing its job of hiding his hands from view.

He tossed it over his shoulders and drew up the hood as he raced back down the stairs, heading directly towards his errant girlfriend and the snake that was encircling her.

* * *

"Tell me again, _why_ are you wasting your free afternoon to come and sit in on my practice session, which might I add is _not_ free time for me, but very important time that requires both focus and zero commentary?"

"Now now darling, how can one expect to improve without constructive criticism?"

"One: you're not a trained vocalist so your opinions are invalid. Two: saying 'the Malfoy Manor has better acoustics to match your voice' is _creepy_ , not constructive!"

Lucius smiled benevolently as he reclined a bit further into his chair, quite comfortable and not at all planning on vacating the practice room anytime soon. "Have I mentioned how utterly _delighted_ I am that you have broken your tryst with the Black traitor? _So_ glad you saw the light, little Thunderbird."

The poor girl was actually starting to develop the slightest twitch in her right eye; barely visible but still there. " _On. A. Break._ " she hissed as the sheet music in her hands crumpled slightly. "It was _my_ choice, and it wasn't for the reasons that you oh-so-kindly warned me about, so get off your high horse before I throw you off."

"How sweet of you," he chuckled as he teased, feeling more light-hearted than he had in a long while. Things with Narcissa had been getting ever so slightly more serious on her end. She had hinted subtly (and not-too-subtly) last night about their future together. She'd asked him for his thoughts on what their lives would be like after graduating from Hogwarts, and he'd given some tripe about how any future with her would be a delight. She soaked it up with a rosy blush and a giggle then proceeded to flounce off, leaving him as the subject of sarcastic ribbing by his peers.

Severus, in particular, had been uncommonly pointed in his inquiries once they'd been left alone in the common room for the night. Throughout his housemate's questioning, Lucius had gotten the hint that Severus must have somehow realized that he held more than an odd curiosity for the visiting Thunderbird, the Asian one that is.

Strange, seeing as Sarah didn't seem the type for loose lips when it came to keeping secrets, so perhaps Black had something to do with it. Nevertheless, last night had left him feeling put upon and frustrated, which is how he found himself wandering the music halls after lunch during his free period, instead of spending even more time in the company of Narcissa.

As luck would have it, he'd been just in time to catch Sarah during her normal practice hours, and had invited himself in as an observer. The only reason she hadn't thrown him out yet was that he'd teased he would try to kiss her if she got near him, which had caused her to practically apparate to the other side of the room, snarling to keep her distance as he laughed sincerely for the first time in weeks.

" _Ugh._ "

Lucius came back from his musings as she gave a frustrated sigh before turning away to stomp back to the piano, which had finished the outro of the song and was well on its way into the beginning again. Magic really was quite the marvelous little thing; muggles had no idea just how bereft their lives were without it.

She ripped the second copy of her music from where it rested in its stand, the piano keys abruptly silencing as its guide was taken away. She fiddled with the stack of music on a nearby chair, doing her best to ignore the boy in the chair.

 _Well, that won't do_.

"Perhaps I should be so bold as to write to my father again." He watched in satisfaction as she froze, her back facing him but radiating enough ire to let him know _exactly_ how she felt about that idea. He pressed on gleefully. "After all: pure blooded, beautiful, intelligent, _and_ musically talented? Why I do believe even my father would break his own tradition of never second-guessing his decisions."

"That's _also_ creepy," is what she retorted with, fire in her words as she went back to searching for whatever she was having difficulty finding. With a small sound of defeat, she gave up in her quest, only to actually take a seat and stare at the faded ivory and ebony keys in front of her.

Her face slowly became contemplative, slightly wistful even, though it was hard to tell. For all that her emotions were explosive and dynamic when it came to joy, annoyance, or excitement, her softer feelings were expressed with extreme subtlety. Lucius hadn't known her long enough to catch all her tells, learn every minutia that would let him know exactly what was on her mind based on a single furrow on her brow, or the intensifying of her gaze like he knew with Narcissa.

He wanted to, though; he wanted it more than he would have ever thought possible for a man who normally could have anything in the world.

Her hands laid hesitantly on the keys, resting without playing for a moment before she pressed down. A sweet, gentle melody filled the air, simple and poignant. Lucius could tell that she was pouring more heart into playing this piece than he'd ever seen or heard from her.

He stood, making his way towards the front of the room as she continued to lose herself in her song, the notes picking up energy and speed as they moved into a more lively mutation. The original motif was still apparent and easy to pick out as it repeated itself, but for some reason it never grew boring. She used pacing and pressure to emphasize dynamics in a way that kept Lucius' attention riveted.

As such, he missed the door behind them both slowly opening on silent hinges, (seemingly by the wind, surely) only to close itself just as soundlessly. The music had changed from major to minor now, becoming teasing and whimsical as it flittered around in his ears like a child learning to dance for the first time.

Sarah was engrossed with her playing, determined not to make a mistake, Lucius supposed. At the end of the latest variation it slipped back to soft and sweet. Here she seemed to hesitate, frustration clouding her expression as her hands slowed. With a huff or self-disgust, she stopped abruptly, her final notes ringing through the air and mixing in the afternoon sun filtering in through the open windows.

Lucius was right next to her now, looking down as she fidgeted with her hands in her lap.

"Why did you stop?" he asked, his voice barely breaching the silence.

Her answer was cutting and harsh. "I can't play the rest."

He kneeled beside the piano bench, trying to catch a glimpse of her face. While she didn't try to hide she nonetheless refused to meet his eyes.

"And," his hand rested on the edge of the piano for balance, "why does that seem to pain you so?"

She drummed her fingers on her skirt-covered thighs, pursing her lips as she considered whether she wanted to answer him. Lucius waited patiently, his curiosity eating him alive. It wasn't often that she hesitated around him, too reluctant to show such a weakness or opening to him, and he found himself oddly touched that she would even consider giving him this chance to know more about her.

"...It was my grandfather's favorite sonata, according to my grandmother. I...I never really appreciated him, or _anyone_ in my family, until it was too late; at least for him." Her arms crossed slowly in a defensive gesture. "Suddenly, there was no more time left. No more chances to tell him I loved him, no more chances to say sorry for being such a brat when I was younger. No more chances to learn about him and his life."

She looked at him now, eyes constantly shifting focus but still excluding sadness and bitter regret. "After he died, my grandmother told me, off-hand, that he'd always loved this sonata. So, I started working on it. But no matter what I do, I'm not _good enough_."

Lucius shook his head, daring to move so that he could sit next to her on the bench. She moved over reluctantly but allowed him the gesture. "I believe," Lucius began, colored with frank honesty, "if your grandfather could see you now and the progress you've made, _hear_ how much you've improved just for him; well, I am of the opinion that he would feel nothing but pride."

She had gone still beside him, and Lucius wondered what was going through her mind. Without warning, she let out a small huff of air, the smallest of smiles pulling at the corner of her mouth as she stared at the keys below her eyes.

"... _Thanks_."

Lucius shrugged, feeling slightly uncomfortable as well. This was uncharted territory for him, being so open with his words. Feeling a need to reorient his world back into its normal position, he smirked down at her, snaking an arm around her back to grasp at her hip and slide her into his body. She jerked up, glaring fiercely at him, but he only leaned closer in return.

"Feel free to thank me properly..." he murmured, his eyes hooded as he dropped them to focus on her slightly parted lips, ripe for the taking and just _begging_ him to do so.

His plans were thwarted in the most horrible fashion when she shoved him right off the bench and onto the punishing floor below, and he let out an ungainly yelp as he toppled arse over tea kettle.

"Lucius Malfoy, get the hell out of my practice room and _stop bothering me_!"


	63. Chapter 63 - Sweet, Sexy Nothings

CHAPTER 63 - Sweet, Sexy Nothings

* * *

Sarah heaved a sigh that was part thankfulness and part exasperation as the door closed in front of her. Apparently, all she'd had to do in the first place was threaten to hex off his balls to turn Lucius more agreeable than apple pie. Shaking her head, she turned around and started walking back to the piano, only to bump into an invisible wall halfway there.

She squeaked, flailing before remembering to grab her wand and raise it in attack mode. Before she could let a single spell fly, the air in front of her rippled nauseatingly before seemingly tearing a hole in the very fabric of reality, revealing a teeth-bared, very pissed Sirius Black.

Completely taken off guard, Sarah could only gape as her boyfriend-on-hiatus forced her wand arm down to her side and stepped right into her personal bubble. That woke her up from her stupor, and she frowned heavily as she struggled to release her wrist from his grasp. At the same time, she pushed against his chest in an attempt to get him to back up.

" _Sirius?_ Where in hell did you come from? What are you doing here?!"

He refused to budge, while his lips twisted into a mocking sneer. "Not happy to see me, love?" he asked lightly, before leaning in so that there was only a breath of distance between their faces. " _Or are you just upset that I interrupted your little date with Malfoy?_ "

" _Date?!_ Like hell!" She tried to pry his fingers open but to no avail. "Get off me!"

Sirius forced her backward until she found herself pressed up against the wall. "Then how do you explain what just happened?!" his shout rang in her ears.

Boxed in but not afraid (he'd never hurt her, she knew that much), she yelled back with just as much fury. "How should I know, since I don't know how long you've _been_ here, jackass!" Sarah made to attack him with her free hand but he simply grabbed it and pinned both wrists to the wall on either side of her head. This close, she could see the wild jealousy in his eyes clear as day.

" _I saw,_ " he hissed out, and Sarah would never admit that she felt just the tiniest bit of fear. _Or was it arousal? Is this what people meant by 'scaroused'?_ She was getting wildly off topic.

Luckily Sirius was there to get her right back on script. "He tried to kiss you!"

"And I shoved his liberty-taking butt onto the cold, hard ground!"

"You said that Malfoy was staying away from you!"

"Correction _,_ I said that he was being his usual self and that _I could handle it_. Stop acting like I'm interested in him when I'm not!"

"You sure as fiendfyre looked interested from where I stood!"

"Well then maybe _you_ need to borrow James' glasses!"

He went silent, his jaw working furiously as he ground his teeth together. His eyes were narrowed to a knifepoint as he met her gaze. Just as she was about to get dirty and go for a knee to the groin he spoke again, but there was no mistaking the softness in his tone for pleading.

No, he was commanding her and expected to be obeyed.

"...Call off the break."

Her eyes widened in shock as she reared back as much as she could. He was completely serious.

"What?" she asked flatly, her incredulity growing with every sentence he spewed out next like he was speaking about something as banal as the weather.

"I _said,_ call off this insane break. The only reason Malfoy has been sniffing around you is to get at me, I'm sure of it. Just stop being so stubborn and everything can go back to how it should be. We'll make it more public than before and then Malfoy can piss off back to his slimy snake den where he belongs and _we_ can get over this ridiculous tiff."

"Tiff? _TIFF?!_ " Her voice rose to a shriek of indignation that filled her to overflowing. "Why don't you take your little hippogriff-shit offer and shove off! In fact, you know what?! I'm done. I'm done with you. We're finished!"

As soon as she said it, a small part of her wanted to take it back, but the majority of her just felt _relieved._ No feeling torn in two, no more broken trust, no more agonizing about the future.

 _No more kisses that steal your breath away. No more arms around you that make you feel like nothing can hurt you. No more eyes that light up when you step into a room._

She ruthlessly quashed her traitorous heart. This was for the best, and she was _tired_.

Instead of erupting in anger or begging for forgiveness like she'd expected, Sirius froze, then burst into gales of laughter.

Now _that_ scared her, because it wasn't the sound of amusement like he'd heard a good joke. He sounded like he was trying to deny what she'd just said; as if his gaiety could drown out her words and nullify her decision.

Sarah could only watch in bafflement as he slumped downwards, his head coming to perch on her shoulder. His entire body was shaking with the force of his hilarity, and she felt both unnerved and a smidge indignant.

"Umm...Sirius?"

She gasped when he suddenly assaulted her neck with a suckling kiss, his head nudging her own so that he could access a better angle. She moved involuntarily, and he gave a hum of approval before trailing his mouth towards her ear, which he gave a tantalizing lick along the outside. She shuddered, having no idea what was going on or how things had changed so dramatically.

His breath was a hot puff of air on her skin as he spoke. "You're adorable," he crooned. The fingers around her still-pinned wrists flexed once before sliding up to link with her own. "You can't break up with me, Waterlily."

"Watch me" she said, but it was a shaky promise at best, and he could hear her weakness just as clearly as she could. She tried wiggling free again but he was a lot bigger and stronger than her, a fact that he was using to his complete advantage right now.

"You won't break up with me, love. You're mine. My Waterlily." He thrust his hips towards her oh so gently, and she hated herself for how _good_ it made her feel. "You're mine," he whispered, "and I'm yours."

He pushed a little harder, and she could feel something beginning to poke her belly, unknown and yet not.

"Stop joking around," he continued between nips at her neck. "Didn't I tell you before not to threaten to break up with me just to prove a point? I _miss_ you, Sarah. Why wait until January to cool off and waste so much time?"

His right hand moved to cradle her cheek, and although she tried to fight it she couldn't help but meet his eyes as he pulled back. They burned her with piercing intensity as he brushed his lips over hers in a seductive caress.

"Come back to me, Sarah."

She opened her mouth to reply, but whether she had been about to succumb or keep strong even she had no idea. Either way, Sirius must have decided that he was tired of silence because he descended upon her parted lips like they were an oasis and he, a man of unquenchable thirst. Her knees went weak as they always did whenever Sirius took charge, and a squeak of surprise was muffled by his tongue when his hands suddenly left her own, only to hike her up the wall and wrap her legs around his waist. She clung to him, not wanting to fall, and Sirius flexed his hands where they were solidly planted on her rear.

Breaking their kiss took more effort than she was willing to admit, and Sarah screwed up her face in consternation. "W-wait," she panted, pushing slightly against his chest. He responded by driving himself hard between her legs and staying, keeping up the pressure as he dove back for another kiss.

"Why wait?" he smirked when they came up for air. "I _want you_ , Waterlily, and I know you want me too. I can practically hear it, the way your heart is going wild. I can see it in your eyes."

His hand trailed down her thigh only to slide back up, this time under the layer of fabric of her skirt until the tips of his fingers arrived at her center. Their eyes both glazed as he continued touching her, their breaths heavy.

" _I can feel it_ , how much you want me here." A shallow dip turned into a full delve, and Sarah clamped down on his intrusion just as she regained her far-flung control.

In a feat of acrobatics she hadn't known she was capable of, she braced all of her weight on his shoulders as she bent both legs until she could plant them on this hip bones. She shoved as hard as she could, and Sirius was sent stumbling back as Sarah toppled to the ground, landing painfully on her butt with a yelp.

Sirius immediately shot up from his place on the ground, indignant and shocked. "What the bloody hell, Sarah?!"

"I can't." She slowly dragged her gaze from the stone floor below her to look up into his eyes. "It wouldn't be fair. _I can't, Sirius._ "


	64. Chapter 64 - A Duet of Duels (1 of 2)

CHAPTER 64 - A Duet of Duels (1 of 2)

* * *

Remus threw up his wand and shouted "Protego!" as Jenelle's hex took an unexpected curve and came to hit him from the side. The frosty dome of his defensive spell absorbed the red hex and melted into a waving purple light. His free hand crossed over his wand hand to shield his eyes from the light and gust of wind that blew from the dying spell. He dropped his arms once the last of the light had vanished and turned to see his girlfriend staring smugly back at him from down the dueling table.

"Almost got you on that one, hun," she called out, a beautiful grin spread wide across her face.

"Pfft," Remus huffed doubtfully, "I was more than prepared for a side hook. Though, I can't say I've ever seen you use that one before. Have you been practicing with Sarah and perfecting your craft?"

Jenelle laughed and it sent a happy shiver down Remus' back. He readied himself with his right side turned toward her and his wand held at eye-height. He stared down the length of the wood at his opponent but failed to muster up any sort of dubious motivation for causing her harm. It was his own weakness really, which is probably why he lost to her so often. But he just couldn't bring himself to fight with the same ferocity he found when practicing in the dueling club.

He chided himself for being so unfair, but he was also secretly hoping that after a while of heated fighting, his girlfriend would want to wind down with some wicked mouth-to-mouth sparring instead.

 _Merlin, listen to me. I sound like Sirius. Well, pre-doom-and-gloom Sirius that is._

"Your turn, love," Jenelle called out, turning her back to take a few steps away from him. The dueling hall was normally empty during dinner so Remus knew they were likely not to be interrupted. The torches lined against the wall on either side of the elongated space cast harsh shadows over them both, and emphasized the luminosity of their spells. He noticed Jenelle's dark Slytherin robes looked pitch black in the dim light, and the half ponytail that pulled back harshly on her face gave her a severe, most-Slytherin-esque look.

 _I would never say anything to the lads, but it's bloody sexy._

Taking the chance to catch Jenelle unawares, Remus lunged forward, stepping his front leg hard onto the wooden table and twisting his wand in a tight circle, sending a new attack with a loud, "Impedimenta!" The spell shot out like a gun blast and flew straight as an arrow towards its target.

Not to be outdone, Remus immediately followed it up with a non-verbal spell that Sarah had been helping him to perfect during their study sessions at the Shrieking Shack. His wand hand tilted and jabbed out ahead of him as he focused all his attention and purpose into the silent stupefy.

He watched as his first attack was easily deflected. Jenelle spun around with arm outstretched and without a word her own massive protego shot up out of the ground and deflected the impedimenta, sending it spiraling like a whirly-gig to the ground beside their dueling table.

Remus smirked to himself, expecting his Ilvermorny trained love to pull off such an obvious and aggressive move. Jenelle had always excelled at defensive spells in their club, and her protego was starting to earn her some impressive fame. The slower moving hex that Remus had followed up with though, was a few hairbreadths behind and as the white wall of her protego fizzled away, the red stunner passed through the foggy haze and enlightened the blonde's face with its light.

 _A headshot! A little rough, but nothing she hasn't felt before. A thousand silent apologies my dear._

Suddenly a small blaze of white light came leaping out from over Jenelle's shoulder and collided with the jinx before it could make contact with its target. The white light dipped down with the spell as if it had caught it in its grasp.

As Remus took stock of the scene with a nonplussed expression, he saw the scampering little squirrel take off towards him. Jenelle was watching with eyes alight and giggling in amusement.

"I thought you might pull something like that!" she called out, pocketing her wand and striding down the embellished table towards him. "So I phoned a friend."

"How!? I've never used that spell in front of you before," Remus exclaimed. He unwittingly reached out his free hand and allowed the admittedly adorable little patronus to leap up onto his arm and scurry over his shoulder to nestle in his hair. The glow of the protection spell fell around his head like a halo and Jenelle held her hands up to her chin in giddy appreciation.

"I've seen you practicing it with Sarah. And she mentioned that you were likely to be the first of the Marauders to get it right." She stopped a few feet ahead of him and tilted her head, taking in her patronus and boyfriend tied up in tandem. The squirrel perked at the sight of its master and leaped from Remus' head into Jenelle's open hand, curling up into a puff of white smoke that dissipated when she closed her fist.

"So, does that mean you weren't impressed?" Remus pouted.

"No! I mean, yes. I was impressed! I knew you had a few more brain cells lodged up there than the other members of your motley crew," she said with a smirk.

Remus stifled a laugh and pocketed his own wand, stepping forward to pull Jenelle into his arms. She fell into his embrace willingly, letting her arms fall lazily over his shoulders and her hands to weave little knots into his messy blonde hair.

"I've nearly got the hang of my silent jelly-legs jinx as well," he whispered seductively but breaking character when he realized just how un-sexy the word _jelly_ was in normal conversation. Jenelle laughed as well, leaning forward to nuzzle her nose against his in a butterfly kiss.

"You may just yet become the greatest wizard of your generation, Mr. Lupin," Jenelle mused, her face pensive. Remus wondered what it was about that statement that brought such sadness to her eyes. The corners of her brow turned down and she looked him over as if frantically memorizing every inch of his face.

Eager to change the mood back to a pleasant one, Remus made a stink face. "Please, the professors call me Mr. Lupin," he said with a lackluster sigh. Jenelle smiled to herself and the brief sadness that had crossed her eyes disappeared and her shoulders released their tension.

"Well if that's the case, I suppose I could teach you a lesson or two. Would that make it appropriate?" The tall blonde smirked devilishly at him and Remus felt his throat go dry and his chest tighten in surprise.

"Erm, here? In the middle of the practice room?" He looked around the big, empty space filled with shadows and jumped as he heard the large oak door close with a resounding _bang_! echoing through the room in slow vibrations. He looked over his shoulder at the door and saw Jenelle's hand closing tight to hide the evidence of her wandless spell, but a faint light still hung around her knuckles and he tutted disapprovingly at her.

"Who taught you to be such a rule breaker? I don't remember you being so… daring before," Remus grinned.

Jenelle shrugged and rolled her eyes, pulling him more tightly towards her. "Well, I hang out with the most infamous pranksters in Hogwarts on a daily basis and the rest of the time I spend in the company of precarious and unpredictable Slytherins. I was bound to evolve."

Remus smiled and reached his hands further down Jenelle's hips to rest just below the curve of her lower back. Every centimeter his hands touched sent electric waves through him. "Hm, are we going to have to formally initiate you into the Marauders? You know, it's a bit of a sausage-society."

Jenelle huffed and brought her mouth up to Remus' ear. He felt the hair on his neck stand up on end as the light puffs of her breathing hit his bare skin.

"I couldn't see Black accepting such an amendment to his precious boy's club," she whispered.

"I'm sure I could persuade him," Remus sighed, leaning his own face into the crook of Jenelle's neck. He could smell sweat and the sweetness of her shampoo in his lady's hair. And beyond that, his werewolf senses picked up the heavy scent of pheromones she was unknowingly releasing into the air as the heat between them rose.

Remus felt Jenelle's hips press into his with a growing need.

"Persuade me," she exhaled into his ear, sending a shudder through him that seemed to undo any sensible thought he had clung to in his mind about being walked in on.

"Fuck, Jenelle…" he growled deeply. Jenelle tightened at his vibrato and he pulled back his head to collide his mouth with hers. Their kisses had always been stirring; slow, methodic patterns of slick skin against pillowed lips. But this was a kiss of earnest desire. He wasn't sure what had brought on the abrupt appetite but he was damned if he was going to douse the growing fire between them. He just needed to get them into the concealed space of the shadows away from the door.

He reached down as far as he could to grip the flesh below her waist, pulling up so that she rose to her toes with the force. She pulled on his lower lip with her teeth and it initiated a visceral response in him. He lifted her off the ground and carried her legs around his waist as he dragged his feet towards the end of the table and lept off, Jenelle shrieking into his shoulder with surprise. He landed on wobbly feet on the floor beside the table but held her tight in his arms.

He was unsurprised at his own strength, though he was certain Jenelle would be. The full moon was a day away and unlike the slow and gingerly steps he took in the days after his transformation, in the days leading up he was filled with an unceasing energy. He used that energy now and pushed aside the memories of his transformation.

Jenelle was like putty in his hands, moving wherever his hands suggested, coming to rest comfortably with her legs on either side of him on the floor. He could feel the radiating warmth between her legs pressing into his pants and warming the skin beneath.

"Remus, I…" she breathed carefully, looking down at him through half-closed lids.

"Are you alright?" he asked in similar short-winded breaths. "Is this okay?"

"Mm, yes," he felt her thighs tighten on either side of his own. "I like it."

Remus was running off his instincts at this point. Everything was unfamiliar territory and resembled nothing of his dalliances with other birds from his classes. He felt compelled to bring the tantalizing creature before him some sort of pleasure. He yearned for it, in the same way, her own gyrating hips seemed to beg for his participation. He placed his curious hands on her hips and pulled them forward. Jenelle moaned quietly at the friction and pulled herself back, resetting their dance. They rocked together back-and-forth, like two parts of a well-oiled machine that created an enormous energy.

Jenelle leaned over him, gripping his shirt at the neck and breathing heavily through a slacked mouth. Her hair was a curtain of gold around his own as their lips came together and competed in their own dance.

To his shock, the exercise was paying off. Jenelle was riding his hips with a growing intensity and a high pitch to her moans that alluded to her pleasure. Remus could feel the space they rubbed together growing damp. He returned his own nip at Jenelle's lower lip. His lady released a hand and reached down sharply to grasp at the bulge below his belt.

He gasped at the shock of her unfamiliar touch and savored the exploration of her fingers over every raised surface. He pressed her hips down hard to intensify the pressure between them and steadied himself as she placed her free hand on his shoulder to balance herself.

Remus was on fire. He felt his whole body growing hot and every nerve ending given a newfound sensitivity. She bucked herself over him and took control of the rhythm as she cried out one last long and throaty whimper. Jenelle gripped onto him and clasped so tightly he could hardly breathe. Remus had forgotten himself and relished in Jenelle's quivering body.


	65. Chapter 65 - A Duet of Duels (2 of 2)

CHAPTER 65 - A Duet of Duels (2 of 2)

* * *

They fell into each other as the girl landed atop him on the cool stone floor. Remus held her tight to him, her cheek resting on the top of his chest and his chin resting on her head. They were breathing deeply together, taking in every feeling that surrounded their experience. Remus ran a hand over her hair and lifted his head to place a kiss on her forehead. Whatever had just happened, it was obvious that Jenelle had needed it.

"That was something else," he said in a low voice. Jenelle giggled embarrassed and covered her face with her hand.

"Oh man, I can't believe we just did that," she groaned. Remus laughed and felt her head bounce on his chest as he did. He gripped her tight in a hug and looked up at the faraway ceiling, the light from the torches not able to illuminate the darkness. The only sound was their breathing mixing with the faraway clamor of the castle and popping fire of the torches.

"Remus? You know I'll have to go...back to Ilvermorny soon," Jenelle whispered into his shirt.

"Hm?" he mumbled, "What's this all about then?"

He already knew that Jenelle and Sarah were planning to return to the States for their winter holiday. He had offered of course, for Jenelle to come stay with his family in Cheshire, but she had declined, saying she had things to attend to back home. He didn't push the issue, knowing how she tended to close up when talking about her family.

He figured it was something private she was holding onto, but perhaps it was something else?

"What is it Jenelle? Is something wrong?" he stroked her head reassuringly. "You know I'll be right here when you get back. It's only for a few weeks and then we'll be back to sparring and babysitting the Marauders as usual."

Jenelle chuckled but it sounded so sad that Remus shifted her weight off him until he could look her in the face as she rested in the crook of his arm. She had a well of tears in her eyes that shone brilliantly into his own. He reached over to catch the tear that slid down her cheek and wiped it away, unsure of what he had done to upset her.

"What if-" she started, struggling as her words caught in her throat, "what if I don't come back? Me or Sarah?" She averted his gaze.

"What do you mean if you don't come back? Where would you go to?" Remus was starting to worry. This sounded like a secret alright, the kind that had been kept for a long while. He knew all about those.

"It's just, there's a chance that Sarah and I will have to stay. In Ilvermorny. We may not be able to come back to Hogwarts again."

"What, you mean? Ever?"

She swallowed hard and nodded. "Never."

Remus felt like someone had hit him in the stomach with a crucio curse. The pit was so heavy he sat up, Jenelle slowly rising up after him. He sat with one leg pulled up to his chest and reached out to grasp Jenelle's hand in her lap. She still wouldn't look him in the eye and the pit in his stomach grew.

'... _a chance that they won't come back._ ' He heard Sirius' voice echo in his mind.

He hadn't given it much thought, convinced it was something Sarah had said to plant a seed of doubt into Padfoot's mind in order to steer him away from the attention of other mewing girls. But Jenelle didn't know that Sirius had shared that concern with them, and here she was bringing it up on her own. That was too much confirmation for him to bear.

"Jenelle, I don't understand. Help me out, why wouldn't you come back to Hogwarts after the winter holiday? Is the exchange program over? Because I'll just come to Ilvermorny if that's the case and we can see each other-"

"No, no Remus that's not it. But thank you," she smiled, glancing up at him for a fleeting moment, "I'm glad you would come to Ilvermorny to see me."

"Then why? Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye to me?" The words felt disgusting and heavy in his mouth.

Jenelle shifted and brought her other hand up to cover his. She rubbed small circles into the back of his hand and opened and closed her mouth a few times before speaking.

"There's a lot I can't tell you. It's serious stuff, and I'm not permitted to say- you have to understand, it could be devastating if I tell you…" She searched for the right words but Remus was too impatient to wait it out.

"I don't care what it is, Jenelle. If it's a secret, I'll keep it. If you can only tell me bits and pieces, I'll take it. Just don't leave me in the dark." He brought his head down to catch her eye and tried to impress upon her the sincerity of his words.

Jenelle looked up and finally stared him in the eye. Her expression had softened slightly into a still sadness. He didn't like the look she was giving him, like he was sweet for caring but it was none of his business. He had never been angry with Jenelle, but this was pushing his limits.

"It's my curse," she finally said, blinking and staring down at her hands. "I um, Dumbledore has found some information that may help me. That's- that's really the reason why I'm here. I wanted his help and contacts to help me figure out the origins of my curse and he may have found it." She looked up at him and Remus tried his best to show that he believed her. But there was a shred of doubt in his mind that prevented him from completely accepting her confession.

"So, if the information proves useful, you won't need to come back here?" he prompted.

"Yes," she sighed relieved, "that's what I'm saying. The exchange program, it's not a real thing. Sarah just came along because she has a patronus that can protect me." She paused and tightened her grip on his hands. "But everything changed when I met you, Remus. I want to stay here more than anything, I want to stay here with you forever."

"Surely Dumbledore will let you stay-"

"He won't. We've asked. It's just, not possible." Jenelle's eyes grew dewy with tears again and Remus felt the pit in his stomach turn into a hollow sadness.

Whatever Jenelle's real reasons were for leaving Hogwarts, it wasn't worth him making things worse. For all he knew, it could be true. It made sense in a way, that Sarah would be here to help and all the strange meetings that the Ilvermorny girls had in Dumbledore's office that they thought the Marauders didn't know about.

"So," he said slowly in a low tone, "when you leave, it's for good."

"I'm so sorry Remus," Jenelle choked out, tears falling in earnest now. "I wanted to tell you all along, I just couldn't- I wanted to enjoy every minute with you that I could."

"Shh," Remus pulled her toward him and clutched her to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist and they sat there on the ground as she wept quietly and he whispered comforting things in her ear.

Remus felt there was so much more to what Jenelle was telling him. He didn't know what it could mean, but even if Jenelle didn't return to Hogwarts that year, or for a few years until they graduated from school, he was certain he could find her someday and rekindle their affection for each other.

"Hey, hey now. Let's not forget the singularly great moment we just had," he winked at her. She looked at him aghast for a second before smiling at his attempt at humor and pounded her fist lightly into his chest. He grabbed her hand and placed any number of kisses all over her palm. She giggled lightly and daintily wiped the tears from her eyes.

"In any case, we don't have to say goodbye just yet. We have time," he pressed, taking her hand and helping her to stand with him. They brushed themselves off and Jenelle nodded emphatically.

"You're right, I don't want to ruin the time we have together," she smiled.

Remus stepped forward and lifted her lips with his own. They shared a motionless kiss, suspended in the dim light of the practice room. Time stopped for the briefest of moments, and Remus tried to dismiss the bittersweet taste that now tainted their connection. When they finally pulled apart, Jenelle's eyes were glazed over and sleepy. Remus wiped a hand affectionately over her shoulder and led her towards the door.

They held hands as they walked through the now empty halls, the students long since headed back to their common rooms. Without speaking, the two walked the short distance to the Slytherin dungeon and shared another long, still kiss.

"Goodnight," Remus whispered as they separated.

"Goodnight," Jenelle replied, the faintest smile creasing her lips. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

Remus gripped her hand one more time and stared her earnestly in the eyes.

"I'll be pretty busy through 'till the evening. But I'll try to come see you in the Great Hall for dinner," he lied. He knew the start of his transformation would begin to take effect soon ( _damn it all_ ), but he didn't want to give her reason to doubt what he had said earlier about spending all their remaining time together.

"Alright," she sighed lightly. "Well, I'll see you later then."

"See you later."

She nodded and turned around, holding a hand up to the stone wall that protected the Slytherin common room. The stones parted and folded together, revealing an opening that Jenelle walked easily through. As the stones began to close around her Remus saw her turn to look at him. He went to raise a hand in goodbye but the wall had closed before he could.

After that, all he was left with was a dark castle, illuminated by moonlight that he sidestepped all the way home.


	66. Chapter 66 - Enter the Nameless

CHAPTER 66 - Enter the Nameless

* * *

Despite the uncertainty of the night before, Jenelle woke up the next morning feeling pretty fantastic. She easily disregarded Narcissa's little quips or Regulus' jabs at her boyfriend over breakfast, finding what little solace she could in Severus' dispassionate expression. Nothing was going to sour her mood.

The Slytherins wrecked their way through a solid amount of food and then split up for class. Jenelle breezed through the first few classes without much effort; DADA and Herbology. She had been hoping to see Remus in Herbology but wasn't surprised when he didn't show. It was something she had thought about divulging at dueling practice the night before. When Remus had said he would be busy the whole next day, and even when he had said he would try to find time to talk to her, Jenelle knew he couldn't.

She had always known he was a werewolf. How could she not? It was one of the defining moments for lycanthrope and wizard relationships after the Battle of Hogwarts when such a dedicated man had died for the cause…

 _Died. Why do I keep forgetting that? What does it seem like it could never conceivably happen?_

But it would. That was the fate of the beautiful, fair-haired boy that she had come to develop feelings for. He would sacrifice his life for the sake of the wizarding world, beside the true love of his life.

 _The love of his life, who isn't me._

Having gotten herself into a rotten mood again, Jenelle dragged through the rest of the day. It was made worse by the fact that Sarah was nearly MIA; Jenelle hadn't seen her all day and could only imagine what she was up to. Possibly passing time in the Room of Requirement; she had sort of thrown herself into her studies after everything that happened between Severus and the Marauders. Even Jenelle was surprised when she heard that Sirius and her were taking a break.

Jenelle was pretty happy about it though. She had never been a big fan of the smooth talking Gryffindor. She didn't like the way the boy eyeballed Sarah like a piece of meat or insisted on humiliating her in public for his own amusement. She hated even more the way he pretended to be so far removed from the sort of people he was brought up with, but at the same time didn't seem to have any trouble beating up his fellow students when they looked at him the wrong way. Perhaps one day he really would become an amazing wizard, the infamous Godfather to the great savior of Europe, but right now, in this day and age, he was a downright bottom-feeding prick.

 _Alright, that may not be fair. Sarah does like him, for whatever reason, so he can't be all bad._

But because of the suave git, Jenelle never really got to see her best friend. So really, Sirius had a lot of catching up to do in her book.

Back to the situation at hand. She had made up with Remus and everything between them was great. Better than great. She had wanted so badly to reveal everything to him the night before. She even wanted him to know that she knew about his illness and that she could even help him. Not like the other Marauders of course, she wasn't an animagus. But she was a stellar DADA student and could hold her own against any student in a duel. That had to count for something, right? And she knew better than anyone what it meant to carry a secret like that around, praying that no one ever finds out, and at the same time wanting to shout it from the top of Ravenclaw tower.

As it happened, she couldn't say anything to him. There was simply too much going on that could implicate her and result in a premature send off back to her time. The Unspeakable, Spectre, had made it pretty clear that she and Sarah were to keep their mouths shut and not make any tangible changes to their surroundings.

 _Well, we've sort of been doing a shit job of that, but still._

As Jenelle made her way to her next class she was stopped in her tracks by a tall, very rounded figure.

"Professor Slughorn! I'm sorry, I almost ran into you," Jenelle yelped.

"Nothing at all to be concerned with, my dear. It would take an ornery hippogriff to knock me down I'm afraid!" Slughorn chuckled to himself and Jenelle noticed the ornate chains that held his assortment of pocket watches jingled as he did so.

"Was there something you needed from me, sir?" Jenelle asked, absentmindedly patting her stomach in hunger.

"Ah, indeed there is I'm afraid," Slughorn started. "I believe Headmaster Dumbledore would like to see you and Miss Yell-Waterbrook, in his office immediately." The man lifted his shoulders and stood upright, impressing upon Jenelle the seriousness of his request.

"Right now professor? It can't wait until after dinner?" Jenelle was many things, but calm in the face of hunger she was not.

"It cannot. I'm under strict orders from the Headmaster to bring you straight away. Professor McGonagall is currently tracking down your fellow Ilvermornian," Slughorn said authoritatively. He sounded far more like a professor now. And there was no way McGonagall was going to find Sarah if she was in the Room of Requirement, which meant Jenelle would have to go do it.

"Bring me sir? I know the way, you don't have to-"

"Indeed I do."

Jenelle looked into the man's dewy blue eyes and saw there wasn't going to be any wiggle room on this. No lighthearted joke about how hungry she was could do the trick. Which was disappointing, she had always managed to maneuver conversation so well with her Head of House. No leverage this time, it seemed.

"Alright, Professor. Will I need to bring anything? I've just dropped off my satchel-"

"Nothing at all! If you'd just follow me now, Miss Montagnard." And with that, Slughorn turned on his heels and started at a brisk pace down the corridor towards the Headmaster's office. Jenelle sighed internally and slumped her shoulders, trudging along behind with visions of honey ham dancing in her mind.

That is, until she turned her head to stare out the window at the dark, wintry night sky and saw the haze of a full moon behind the mass of clouds. Then her mind was with Remus and the Marauders, who were likely missing their own meals to help their friend, her love.

 _Love._ Jenelle smiled to herself. _Maybe I do love him._

* * *

The Headmaster's office was as organized in it's clutter as ever. Books lined every wall and wide glass cabinets encased the most intriguing artifacts. It looked like the inside of one of Diagon Alley's forbidden shops. On a golden pedestal next to the Headmaster's desk sat the crimson phoenix, Fawkes. Yet another character of Jenelle's education that enchanted the mind of many young witches and wizards at Ilvermorny. Jenelle had to pull her gaze away from the gilded creature as Dumbledore spoke in his slow, British drawl.

"Miss Montagnard, Miss Dubois I should say, there have been some recent developments regarding yours and Miss Yellowbanks's predicament that I should like to discuss with the two of you. Though it seems your fellow Ilvermornian is nowhere to be found."

Dumbledore raised a quizzical eyebrow at Jenelle who felt her palms begin to sweat under his stare. Of course she knew where Sarah was, and she was pretty sure that the Headmaster knew as well, but for whatever reason he was being coy about it and so she decided to play along.

"Well, um, perhaps she's in class?" Jenelle offered.

"That would be incorrect," Professor McGonagall chimed in, her voice slightly raspy, "I have reviewed Miss Yellowbanks's schedule and it seems she never attended her Care of Magical Creatures class this afternoon. Does that sound unusual to you, Miss Montagnard?"

Jenelle stifled a laugh and tried to put on her most serious expression. "Sarah would never miss a chance to play with furry animals, ma'am. But I think I might know where she is."

This time it was McGonagall's turn to raise an eyebrow, while Professor Slughorn seemed to ignore the whole conversation with his nose buried in one of Dumbledore's books on the landing above the office. Jenelle gave a pleading look to Dumbledore who seemed to see what she was getting at and blinked encouragingly.

"So we shall send you to go fetch your classmate. Though I must press upon you the importance of your return, Miss Dubois. There are some serious matters at hand and we are being pressed to a rather tight schedule-"

"A nearly uncompromising schedule, Headmaster," came a voice from the shadows behind Jenelle's chair. She whipped around at the sound and saw a tall, gruff looking man walk into the center of the room. He had a long beard, graying around the mouth, and sunken blue eyes that bore like fire into Jenelle's own. He wore a floor length robe that covered most of his clothing, but Jenelle could make out the crest of the MACUSA emblazoned on his belt buckle. There was a lot to suggest that he was a Nameless, an American Unspeakable, not least of which his presence that seemed to draw happiness from around him like a dementor.

Jenelle shuddered and slouched down in her chair. As she turned back to face Dumbledore she saw a familiar figure walk up behind the Headmaster's chair, placing a firm grip on the back of the throne. Spectre was also glaring down at her over a scrunched, pointy nose.

Jenelle felt cornered on all sides and was stricken with the severity of the situation. What she thought was going to be a simple update on their plans for the upcoming holiday seemed to be far more pressing than she had imagined. She definitely needed Sarah here for this, no matter what her friend was currently tied up with (and that better not be Black).

"I- I'll go get her, Headmaster. I promise I'll be right back," Jenelle offered in a low tone. She rose from her seat, conscious of the many eyes on her as she hurried down the low stairs to the exit. She passed the Nameless and though she knew herself to be rather tall, she was shocked at just how much taller the man was than her. He regarded her with the same harsh stare as she slipped by and hustled down the stone staircase to the main castle.

Sarah is going to flip. I don't think she's ever seen a Nameless either. Why would he be here in 1976? Does that mean we can also go back to our time? But what about returning to Ilvermorny and the Slug Holiday Party and finishing our studies for the year…?

 _What about saying goodbye?_

Jenelle picked up her speed and sprinted through the halls, her shoes resounding heavily on the stone floor as she made her way to the Room of Requirement.


End file.
